Shadows
by ShadowNinja27
Summary: Kai doesn't remember his parents. He was told they died when he was young, but nothing else. When a new ninja enters the scene, could she hold the key to Kai's past? Or could she be leading him to his demise?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi Everyone! This is my first Fanfic so I hope you like it! _Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago._**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter One: <strong>_**A New Day**_

The sun rose over Ninjago City in spectacular orange and pink hues. Locals hurried down the crowded streets on their way to work. Eager shoppers scanned the storefronts, looking for a bargain. The stillness of night had been broken, marking the start of a new day.

A little ways to the northeast, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Destiny's Bounty lay anchored patiently in Ninjago's forest, waiting for distress calls about rouge skeleton warriors that had been roaming Ninjago ever since Lord Garmadon was banished to the Underworld.

At first glance, the ship seemed deserted. But, upon closer inspection, signs of inhabitants could be detected: misplaced swords and armor, candy wrappers and pizza boxes strewn across the floor, and faint voices coming from below deck. Following those voices down a flight of stairs and through mazes of passageways below deck, there was a small door, slightly ajar, opening into a spacious room with vaulted ceilings and two balconies with terraces. In the center of the room, huddled around a flat screen TV and small gaming system, were four teenaged boys, deeply engrossed in some sort of multi-player battle game.

"That power-up's mine!" yelled a boy who had on a red T-shirt, faded jeans, and unruly, spiky brown hair with a fiery personality to match. He maneuvered his avatar toward a glowing emblem on-screen.

At that same moment, another avatar swooped down and grabbed the power-up before anyone else could reach it.

"Actually, Kai," said the boy sitting next to him, "I believe that Jay has gotten to it first." He spoke in a cool, even tone and was wearing a gray and white sweatshirt that matched his denim jeans. His hair was a light tan buzz cut, and his eyes were icy blue.

"Ha, Ha! That's right, Zane! I get double weapons and firepower for the rest of the game!" replied a slightly younger looking ginger haired boy clothed in a white shirt with a denim jacket over top and jeans. His stormy gray eyes danced with electricity as he spoke.

The only one seemingly not having fun was the eldest of them all, a tall boy with long black hair that almost covered his hard charcoal eyes. He had on a dark gray hoodie and tan cargo pants.

"Can we please just all stick to the plan?" he asked, his voice solid and unwavering. "The final boss is coming up, and we won't be able to beat him unless we all work together."

Jay sighed in exasperation. "Loosen up, Cole. You're always so serious!"

"Yeah," added Kai. "Just because you're our leader in the field, doesn't mean you can boss us around in video games, too."

They paid no attention to the young girl sitting behind them on the wrap-around couch, reading a thick novel. She was obviously trying very hard to ignore the boys and their rowdy game. In fact, she was sitting so still, she looked like a statue. Her short black hair framed her face, and she had the same mischievous, fiery eyes as Kai. She was wearing a simple scarlet tunic and skirt, patterned in lacy gold trim.

"Hey, sis? You you wanna join? We have an extra controller," Kai called over his shoulder, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Nya?" Jay asked.

"I said I'm fine! That game looks about as much fun as banging your head against a wall. All you do is run around destroying things!"

"I know, right? What could be a more perfect game?" exclaimed Kai.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You boys are all the same – so dense!" sighed Nya, turning back to her book.

"Suit yourself," said Kai, and he continued playing the game.

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"I. Am. So. Bored!" complained Kai.

"Kai, we just played _Fist to Face 5_ for like, ten hours," said Cole. "What more do you want?"

Kai replied, "I know, I know. It's just that we haven't had trouble with Lord Garmadon and the skeleton army for weeks! I need some excitement around here before I die of boredom!"

"Well, then you're the only one," said Jay.

"Yes," added Zane. "I personally appreciate the time we have to relax."

"Just my luck," muttered Kai. "I get stuck on a ninja team full of slackers."

Suddenly, there came a soft knock on the door. Everyone froze. Even Nya looked up from her book. The ninja weren't used to getting visitors, since the Destiny's Bounty was usually either flying or anchored in a remote forest.

"Hey, Kai?" Jay said slowly. "I think that's your excitement knocking."

The four ninja cautiously approached the door, all prepared for the worst. When they opened it, a tall girl was standing there, about their age. She had on a white tank top, jeans, and tennis shoes. Her long caramel hair was gathered into a ponytail, and her hazel eyes that wandered from face to face, studying the ninjas.

Kai was so surprised that before the girl could even get a word in, he blurted out, "Who are you? How did you find this place? Are you a friend, or an enemy? If you don't start talking, I'll be forced to use Spinjitzu on you!"

"Whoa, hold on," she said, holding up her hands. "I'm Anna, and I don't know anything except Sensei Wu told me to be here."

"Wait, _you_ know Sensei Wu?" Cole asked, amazed.

"Know him?" Anna answered. "He practically raised me! See, Sensei and my dad were the best of friends. Together, they were two members of an inseparable and unbeatable trio that kept Ninjago safe from Garmadon's dark forces."

She paused, and her face fell. "I was only a few months old when, one day, my dad suddenly disappeared without a trace. Even though Sensei Wu and his partner were very distraught, they knew they still had to keep fighting for all of Ninjago's safety. They had to work twice as hard now that their team was missing a member, but despite all their efforts, the dark forces seemed to be getting stronger than ever. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few months later Sensei's partner suffered a terrible tragedy and had no choice but to retire from his adventurous life. After that, Sensei Wu became a solo fighter and I haven't seen him since."

"So," she concluded, "when I got his letter, I was so excited at the thought of seeing him that I came straight here."

Kai tried to concentrate on what Anna was saying. It wasn't that he didn't care; rather, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met Anna somewhere before. And her voice...he knew he recognized her carefree tone.

"But the better question is, who are all of you?" Anna's question brought Kai back to reality. "I don't remember Sensei mentioning he took on a baby-sitting job..."

"Hey, what did you just say?!" yelled Kai outraged.

Cole groaned. "Seriously, Kai, calm down. She just asked a simple question."  
>Kai was clearly ignoring him. "If she wants a fight, I'll give her one!" he said, half to himself and half to Anna.<p>

"Bring it on, then!" Anna yelled back.

There could have been a fight right then and there if the Sensei hadn't walked in at that very moment. As soon as she saw Sensei Wu, Anna completely lost her resolve to fight Kai.

"SENSEI!" she exclaimed as a grin spread across her face. She ran straight over to him, and he enveloped her in a hug.

"It's been a while, Anna." Sensei Wu's stern features softened at the sight of her.

"Oh, Sensei, I've missed you so much! And there's _so_ much that's happened since you've left! Like my mom got a new job teaching in Jamanakai Village! And my older brother, Bryce, just disappeared one day without a single trace, besides a short note. Most importantly, I have a new little brother! He's about five years younger than me, and sometimes he can be a pain, but he's turning out to be just like Bryce – I never would've guessed!"

Sensei's face hardened again. "Anna, I wish the only reason I had called you here was to see you and catch up on old times, but the real reason is very serious indeed."

"Well, why am I here, then?"

"I need you to join my ninja team."

There was silence in the room, followed by outbursts of "What?" and "Sensei, why didn't you tell us?" and "Being a ninja is for boys only!" and so on. However, the loudest reply came from Anna herself.

"What? Are you kidding me?!" she said, shocked. "I can't be a ninja! I don't even know how to use a weapon, let alone fight! Just because my dad was a great fighter doesn't mean I automatically inherited his skills."

"That may or may not be true, Anna, but I sense great potential in you as I did in your father," Sensei Wu insisted. "This is why you must be trained in order to bring out the power of your true element."

"Okay, now I seriously have no idea what you're talking about. But, if you really think I could do it, I trust you. Somehow I have a feeling that it would make my dad proud," Anna decided.

"Hold on, Sensei," Kai interrupted. "How can you expect Anna to be a part of our team? She has no experience, she'll probably just slow us down on missions, and she doesn't even have an element or a golden weapon!"

"Silence!" Sensei Wu commanded, and the room became quiet. "Anna will decide for herself whether or not she will accept my offer."

All eyes were on Anna, and it seemed as if everyone held their breath until she spoke again.

"I accept," Anna said with deadly seriousness.

No one knew what to say, until Sensei broke the silence. "It is settled. Nya, will you show Anna to her room?"

"Sure thing, Sensei," Nya answered. Then to Anna she said, "Follow me." Nya quickly led Anna up a flight of stairs to the balcony where the separate boys' and girls' rooms were, leaving the four ninja standing there dumbfounded.

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As the evening wore on, everyone retired to their rooms to get ready for bed. The girls quickly fell asleep, but back in the boys' room, an argument was in full swing.

"Doesn't it seem strange to you that a random girl just waltzes in, claims to know Sensei, and _boom_, just like that, she's a ninja!?" Kai argued.

"Aren't you being a bit harsh? I mean, give Anna a break!" Cole retorted.

"I would advise staying out of this," said Zane.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to interrupt the two hot-heads," agreed Jay, yawning.

"Why should we even trust her?" Kai went on. "For all we know she could be a spy from Garmadon just waiting for the command to lead the whole skeleton army right to our base for an ambush!"

"Since when does Lord Garmadon work with humans? The only creatures that live in the Underworld are skeletons," Cole pointed out.

Kai just shrugged. "Anything is possible, you know. Plus, a ninja can't be too cautious, can he?"

The argument went back and forth like that for a few hours. Jay and Zane tried to get some rest, but it was nearly impossible with all the yelling Cole and Kai were doing.

"It's late, Kai. Can we please just forget this and go to bed?" Cole pleaded.

"She may have fooled all of you, but I know she's up to something," Kai warned. "I'm keeping an eye on her."

On that note, the arguing finally died down and everyone fell asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: So what do you think? Please review so I can improve, but no flames! If there's something you don't like, use constructive criticism. Anyways, I'll try to update once a week, so stay tuned and have a great day!**

**~ Shadow**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's Chapter 2, just like I promised! But first, I have a special guest here to do the disclaimer!**

**Me: Jay?**

**Jay: *playing a video game and clearly ignoring me***

**Me: Jay! Do the disclaimer!**

**Jay: Wait... let me finish this level.**

**Me: *rips the TV plug out of the wall***

**Jay: Hey! What did you do that for?**

**Me: *smiling evilly* Do the disclaimer or you'll never see your video games again!**

**Jay: Fine! ShadowNinja27 doesn't own Ninjago or anything in it! **

**Kai: *randomly comes into room* Because we're way too awesome for her!**

**Me: Kai! Where did you even come from? *pushes Kai out the door***

**Anyway, now on to the story!**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Two: <strong>_**The Training Begins**_

Anna awoke with a start and almost fell out of bed. She reached over to the nightstand by her bed and hit the snooze button on Nya's alarm clock. "Do you guys _always_ wake up this early?" she asked Nya, who was just getting up. "It's 4:35 in the morning!"

Nya rubbed her eyes. "Hey, I'm not exactly used to it either, but we have to make the most out of every day, just in case Lord Garmadon decides to show his ugly face again."

After getting dressed, the girls walked down the stairs to the kitchen buffet table. Kai, Cole, and Jay were already there, scarfing down pancakes. Zane was bending over the stove in the corner, desperately trying to provide enough food for the starving boys. Jay glanced up from his mountain of pancakes just long enough to notice Anna and Nya taking a seat at the other end of the table.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the dead have finally arisen," he teased. Anna ignored him and grabbed a few pancakes off the stack.

"So, you two ready to start your training today?" asked Cole as he took an eighth serving of pancakes. Anna suddenly stopped eating in mid-bite.

"Wait, _two _of us?" she inquired. "I thought I was the only one going to be a ninja."

"Nya, you mean you haven't told her yet? You couldn't seem to wait to tell me last night," Kai said with slight annoyance in his voice.

Nya pushed bits of pancake around her plate with her fork, then looked up at Anna sheepishly. "Anna, there's a few things that I should tell you. A few hours before you came yesterday, Sensei asked me the same thing he asked you: if I wanted to be a ninja. I was so surprised that I didn't tell anyone at first. Then when you said you'd be a ninja, I figured I'd better tell everyone about my talk with Sensei. You were already asleep by then, and I didn't want to wake you up. I just told the boys, and I was going to tell you this morning. I guess I just … I forgot."

Anna didn't say anything for a few moments, then asked quietly, "So this means we're training together?"

"Yeah."

"That's awesome!" Anna jumped up. "I can't wait! When can we start?"

"Well," Cole pretended to ponder this. "How about you clean up the dishes, then meet me and Kai above deck?"

Normally, Anna would've argued about getting stuck with cleanup duty, but she was too excited to care. "You've got a deal!" she said, and rushed over to the sink to run the water.

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"Man, I can't believe how many dishes 6 people can make!" Anna groaned as she and Nya walked through the hallways on their way to meet Kai and Cole above deck. "I mean, if we really _are_ trying to make the most of our time until Garmadon attacks, couldn't we at least get a maid to do our cleaning?"

"I don't know," Nya shook her head. "I guess that's just another thing you'll have to get used to. The boys always dump all their responsibilities on me, just because I'm younger. There _is_ supposed to be a chores list around here somewhere, though..."

When the two trainees finally reached the deck, Anna was a little disappointed. There was nothing there – no shields, swords, or equipment at all. She didn't want to say anything, but her expression gave her away.

"Anna, is everything okay?" Cole sounded concerned.

"Yeah," she replied quickly. "But, I was wondering – isn't there supposed to be some training equipment around here somewhere?"

"I thought you'd ask that," Cole grinned. He pressed a small red button on a remote no bigger than a cell phone. Anna watched in wide-eyed amazement as a huge obstacle course erupted from the floor underneath their feet. It had so many features that Anna couldn't even count them all: hanging spiked balls on chains, rotating swords attached to a wall over spike pits, a line of various sized logs moving in and out of the floor, and practice dummies on a rotating platform – just to name a few.

"That is the coolest thing I ever saw in my life!" Anna said in awe.

"Yep, it's Jay's own little creation," Nya informed her.

"Can we use it now? Please? PLEASE?!" Anna was jumping up and down by now.

"Whoa, hold up," Cole chuckled. "I think that you both could be more productive in your training if we personally tutor you separately." He turned his attention to Kai.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Kai folded his arms. "I'm definitely _not_ going to have anything to do with this potential traitor!" He pointed an accusing finger at Anna.

"Fine, then!" Anna spat. "You're probably a terrible fighter anyway!"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Okay, so I take it that the unanimous vote is that Kai and Nya will train together, and I'll take Anna."

"Humph," Kai and Anna muttered and turned to move to separate sections of the training course.

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Anna sat on the section of deck near the bow of the ship, awaiting Cole's instructions. She was really anxious to practice her fighting skills on the dummies looming in front of her, but she decided to be patient. Cole finally reappeared out of the weapons closet under the staircase, toting armor and a helmet in his arms.

"Okay," he said, dropping the armor on the floor. "Before you can learn Spinjitzu, you've got to learn to attack with only your bare hands and feet – no weapons or anything. But I'll give you this armor, just in case. It should fit...go ahead, try it on!"

Anna fitted the heavy steel plates over her T-shirt and jeans. Then she set the helmet on her head, carefully adjusting the straps. It was sort of like an umpire's mask, with a cage across the face for protection. "When do I get a cool outfit?" she asked Cole, gesturing at his jet black ninja robes and hood.

"Oh, don't worry," there was a twinkle in his eye. "You'll get yours soon enough."

"I wish it were now," Anna muttered.

"Anyway," Cole continued, "You need to show me what you already know, then we'll go from there. So, now you can go ahead and attack those dummies."

"Finally!" Anna was so excited she jumped onto the rotating platform and barrel rolled under the first dummy's legs. Then, she got up and delivered a solid punch to the midsection of another. The next dummy had a chained mace in its hand. Without thinking twice, Anna grabbed the mace and swung it through the air, bringing it down hard on the dummy's head. Anna then made the mistake of letting her guard down for only a second. She didn't notice the post jutting out of the center pole. Her foot caught on it, and she flew off the platform, landing face-first on the deck. Cole rushed over to help her up.

"That was pretty impressive, Anna!" he exclaimed, clapping her on the shoulder. "But you need to remember, don't let your pride get the best of you. Then you'll miss important things – even if they are little – that will cause your downfall. In this case, literally!"

"Thanks," Anna breathed heavily. "I'll try harder next time."

In the mean time, on the other end of the deck, Nya was listening intently as her brother spoke.

"Balance is the key," he was saying. "Don't get distracted; instead, focus on the bigger picture."

Nya looked puzzled. "I'm not sure if I get what you're saying or not, but I'll try my best."

"That's all I expect," said Kai. "Now, I want you to center yourself and make it to the other side of the deck by balancing only on these posts," he pointed to the row of moving posts in front of him.

"Okay," Nya said, "here goes." She took a deep breath and jumped onto the first post. Right away, she almost lost her balance when the post shot up under her feet. "Balance," Nya whispered to herself, and leaped down onto the next post, considerably shorter than the first. She continued in this fashion until about halfway to the end.

"Pretty good!" Kai said, "but can you handle this?"

At that moment, Nya felt something fly past her ear, just narrowly missing her.

"Whoa, what was that?" she glanced over to see her brother picking up another wooden staff and aiming it at her. "WHAT!? You never said anything about throwing things at me, too!"

Kai only shrugged. "Hey, otherwise it would be too easy for you!" He pulled back his arm and let the staff go. This time, it found its target, hitting Nya on the shoulder.

"Ow! Kai, is this even safe? I mean, what kind of teacher trains his student by throwing wood at her?"

Kai threw more staffs that, luckily, Nya dodged. "I'm your brother! I'm allowed to do stuff like that!"

By this time, Nya was almost at the end of the course. She avoided another deadly projectile, but misjudged her step. She slipped and went down on the deck.

Kai strolled over, but he didn't help her up. He simply said, "Balance."

Nya rolled her eyes. "We are never _ever, _doing that again! You hear me?"

"Well, I thought it was a great lesson," Kai muttered as he and Nya walked towards the stairs.

Anna, Cole, and Sensei Wu were waiting for them when they got there.

"You have all trained hard," said Sensei Wu. "That is enough practice for today."

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"Wow, I'm beat! It feels like I've been training forever!" exclaimed Anna, collapsing on the couch.

"Yep, that's how it is being a ninja," replied Jay who had already been relaxing for hours.

"Hey, I wouldn't complain if I were you," said Nya, joining Anna on the couch. "At least you don't have a trainer who also happens to be your psychotic brother with a death wish for you." Anna stared at her and Nya quickly added, "Don't ask."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Kai said suddenly. "How about we play some video games?"

"Kai!" everybody yelled.

"What?" he asked.

"Can't we do anything else for a change?" asked Cole. "We played video games all day yesterday and the day before that!"

"Aw, c'mon, Cole," Kai whined, "don't be such a bummer! I guess we don't have to play _Fist to Face 2_ if you have any better suggestions."

Oh! I do!" shouted Jay. "Anyone up for some dancing, perhaps?"

Anna was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"_Just Dance 6_, of course! Great idea, Jay!" Kai gave Jay a high-five.

Anna's face lit up. She forgot all about being tired. "You really have _Just Dance 6_!?"

"Uh, duh," Kai rolled his eyes at Anna. "Of course we do. We're ninjas!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's Just Dance!" exclaimed Jay.

Kai ran over to the giant cabinet in the corner of the room to the left of the flat-screen TV. He flung open the carved oak doors, revealing shelves and shelves jammed full of every video game and DVD imaginable. After searching through the titles for a few moments, Kai grabbed a beat up blue and black case with block letters scrawled across the front and back. He removed the disc and shoved it into a small game slot under the base of the TV. Within seconds, the screen came to life with colors, and music blared from the hidden surround sound speakers in the walls. Kai grabbed a controller off of the coffee table. "I hope you guys are ready, because you're all going down! Nobody beats me at video games!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Anna's eyes glinted suspiciously. She felt a surge of energy pulse through her body. The last time she'd played this game was with her brother the night before he ran away. Anna vowed then to never play this game again. Still, playing it now – it didn't bring back painful memories like she had expected. It only provided Anna a renewed determination to find out what had happened to her brother. She confidently selected a controller from the table and waited for the game to begin.

"Hey, Anna," Nya nudged her, "I think you should pick the first song. After all, you are our guest."

"Sure. It would be a pleasure," said Anna. She scrolled down the list of songs, not sure which one to pick. Finally, she settled on "Break Free" by Ariana Grande. No one had ever beaten her at this song, and she wouldn't lose this time, either. "Everyone ready?" Anna asked the group. Then, without waiting for an answer, she started the song.

Everyone hummed along to the familiar tune and began to move in time with the beat as the steps appeared on screen. Nya and the ninjas' movements were perfectly in sync with the rhythm. Anna could tell they had definitely played this game many times before. She started to doubt herself. Maybe Kai was right. Maybe she _would _lose. Anna pushed the thoughts aside and forced herself to focus.

She danced her heart out for what seemed for hours. When the song was over, the results screen popped up. Anna held her breath as she read it. Cole was in fourth place, Zane in third, then – Anna gasped – Kai was second, and there was her name – in first! As soon as the rest of the ninja saw that the results showed that Kai was beaten, everyone cheered.

"Way to go, Anna!" Cole praised her. "Kai had the high score on that song for eons, but you destroyed it!"

"Yeah," agreed Jay. "It's about time Kai gets beat at something!"

Kai was the only one not celebrating. "It was just stupid beginner's luck!" he protested. "I'm picking the next song, and we'll just see how lucky you get then."

"Man, Kai, don't get so upset. It's just a game," Jay said.

"Whatever." Kai was already picking out another song.

After winning the next few songs, Kai's mood seemed to improve. "Ha ha! Told you guys! I'm the best!"

The six teenagers played for a few more hours until they had run through every song at least once.

Soon, they could smell interesting aromas wafting out of the kitchen area. Cole had excused himself about an hour earlier to go cook dinner, and now the whole Bounty was filled with the scents of everything from pot roasts to pies.

"I am _so_ starved!" Anna finally said.

"Yeah, me too. Let's go see if Cole's whipped up anything actually edible yet," Jay agreed.

Everyone tossed their controllers hastily onto the couch, then wandered over to the giant buffet table on the other side of the room and took the same seats in which they sat for breakfast. Sure enough, the whole table was crowded with serving dishes and platters full of all kinds of different foods. Many were too exotic-looking for Anna to recognize, but the thing she did notice right away was two cobblerberry pies – just like her mom used to make – sitting on a steaming plate still hot from the oven. The ninja were already piling their plates high with food, so Anna hurried to do the same. She didn't want to miss out on anything because at the rate the ninja were eating, Anna had a sinking suspicion that all this food would be gone in a matter of minutes.

The room was uncomfortably silent for a while, except for the sounds of chewing and silverware scraping against dishes. Then, after everyone evidently got their fill of homemade food, the silence was replaced with low chatter about the day's events.

"So," Nya asked Anna, "how'd you like your first day with the world-renowned Masters of Spinjitzu?"

Anna glanced over at the ninja, who were joking around and starting to throw some food at each other. Zane, however, didn't seem to get the others' jokes. He sat looking at them with a blank stare on his face. Anna had to laugh a little. Those four just looked like regular teenaged guys – hardly important at all. They certainly didn't seem like the type to be heroes, let alone the supreme guardians of Ninjago.

"It was great!" she replied. "I mean, I guess I miss my home a little, but I know this was the right thing to do. Mostly, though, I'm so glad that you're all so friendly!" _Well, almost all of you,_ Anna added silently.

Meanwhile, Kai was polishing off his fifth slice of pie. He loved cobblerberry so much, he figured he could live off it if he had to. But his thoughts were elsewhere. He just couldn't shake how he felt about Anna. Maybe the others were right and she was really just a nice girl. Maybe he was overreacting. But, there was a tiny part of Kai – a memory he couldn't quite grasp – that screamed Anna was danger.

_Stop! _He yelled at himself. He'd have to sort his feelings out later. Right now there were more pressing problems, like figuring out Lord Garmadon's next move. Or, better yet, training Nya to be the best ninja of all time (besides himself, of course).No matter how hard Kai tried, though, he couldn't get rid of his suspicions.

They even haunted him in his dreams. That night as he was asleep, scenes unfolded in his mind, like an old black-and-white movie. Kai watched as a family gathered together in their cramped kitchen after a hard day's work. Suddenly, he realized this wasn't just any family – it was his own family.

The baby crawling around the floor Kai guessed was himself. Since Nya was two years younger than him, Kai figured she hadn't been born yet. There were also three adults sitting around a small table, laughing and smiling as if they'd just shared a good joke. Kai knew instantly that the man and woman holding hands were his parents. He wasn't sure how he could tell since he didn't remember his parents, but he knew in his heart that the young couple was his mother and father.

Kai then focused on the other figure sitting there who didn't quite fit in. The lady couldn't be related to him, with her wavy, toasted caramel hair and her deep hazel eyes. Kai reasoned that she was probably a family friend by the way she was chatting with his parents.

Just as Kai was processing all this information, the scene fast-forwarded a few years. Kai now found his young self asleep in a dark room. In a cradle across from his bed, Kai saw a baby whom he identified as Nya snoring peacefully in her blankets.

All of a sudden, a small sliver of light appeared on the floor, coming from the doorway. Kai watched as a tall, slender figure tip-toed in. They didn't seem threatening at all. But as they moved towards the beds, nothing could have prepared Kai for what happened next.

Quickly and quietly, the mysterious figure scooped young Kai and Nya up in a blanket, climbed out the window, and ran with the two crying babies off into the shadows.

Kai sat bolt upright in his bed, his heart pounding. He finally understood why he never knew his parents. They hadn't died, as he'd been told, but instead, Kai and Nya had been taken from them.

The dream had also told him something else. With a sickening feeling in his gut, Kai realized the reason why he felt like he'd met Anna somewhere before and why he thought that she was bad news.

When Kai had been kidnapped as a child, he remembered one thing alone. He remembered peering out from the blankets wrapped around him and looking straight into a smiling face with hazel eyes framed in loose caramel curls – the face of Anna's mother.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh my gosh! What will happen? Seriously though, I'm sorry the story is a little slow so far. Please don't give up reading! I promise the next few chapters will be more exciting. Anyway, Read and Review, and I'll be back next week with the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm back with the newest chapter! First, though, I just want to thank all the people who reviewed my last chapters. It means so much to me as a new author! Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, Chapter 3!**

_**P.S. I do not own Ninjago.**_

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Three: <strong>**_Betrayed _**

Anna awoke to the sound of alarms blaring through the built-in intercom in her room. Immediately, she knew there must be trouble. She quickly threw on some comfy jeans and a T-shirt and hurried to the bridge.

Bursting into the room, Anna saw the ninja and Nya already huddled around a holographic projector discussing battle strategies. "Sorry I'm late," she panted. "So, what's the problem?"

Everyone turned to face her.

"Jeez, Anna," said Jay, throwing up his hands. "I thought you'd _never_ wake up! I mean, I had the alarm on full volume in your room for like, fifteen minutes! I know there's stories of people sleeping through stuff like explosions, but -" Cole glared at Jay and he shut up.

"Well, Anna, if you really want to know, we're having some trouble with skeletons. They're a little too close to the Bounty for comfort," Cole said.

"But it's nothing we can't handle," Kai said tensely. "By ourselves."

Anna crossed her arms. "What do you mean, you'll handle it 'by yourselves' ? You weren't seriously thinking of leaving Nya and me behind – were you?

"She does have a point," Cole agreed. "It would be the perfect opportunity for them to practice what they've learned so far."

Kai didn't budge. "No. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances are we taking _her_" he gestured to Anna "with us."

"Seriously, Kai? This again? What do you have against Anna?" Cole demanded.

"Well," Kai began.

"Don't answer that. The point is, I'm the leader, so what I say, goes. And I say Anna and Nya are coming with us, whether you like it or not."

"Fine! Let's go, Nya," Kai yelled, and stormed out the door. Cole and Anna followed closely behind, leaving Jay and Zane standing open-mouthed in the bridge.

Once outside, Kai and Cole each boarded their own dragon with Nya and Anna. After a few minutes of preparations, they took to the skies.

Cole and Anna rode in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Anna spoke. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

"No big deal," Cole smiled. "Kai and I fight all the time anyway. It was about time for us to go at it again."

"Still, what did I ever do to Kai to make him hate me so much?" Anna wondered aloud.

"Absolutely nothing," Cole spat. "Kai's just being a jerk. Don't take anything he says too seriously."

Anna tried to convince herself what Cole had said was true, but she still had an uneasy feeling that had nothing to do with Cole's awful flying skills. She may not know much, but she was certain of one thing: if this problem wasn't resolved soon, the whole team would fall apart.

"Looks like this is it," said Cole, breaking the silence. He pointed to a small clearing below the trees.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Anna asked incredulously. "It just looks like more trees to me."

"Positive," Cole replied. Then he added, "You might want to hold on." He jerked back on the reins, sending the earth dragon into a nosedive.

"Are you crazy?!" screeched Anna.

Cole grinned. "Relax. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Just when Anna was sure they were going to come in for a very hard landing, the dragon straightened out and touched down with a light thud.

Cole jumped to the ground. "Told you I got it covered."

Seconds later, the fire dragon landed in the clearing and let Kai and Nya off its back. They joined Cole and Anna, who were already beginning to search the forest.

The surrounding area was unnaturally quiet. Soon everyone began to feel a little on edge.

"Can we please just get out of here?" complained Kai, who was trying to stay as far away from Anna as possible.

"Yeah," agreed Nya. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Alright," Cole relented. "Maybe it was just a glitch in the radar again. I'll have to remind Jay to take a look at that when we get back."

Cole, Kai, and Nya started to turn back, but Anna stopped them. "Hold on, guys. We've only been out here for less than half an hour. Plus, they're just skeletons. You guys aren't seriously scared to fight, are you?"

Kai looked insulted. "Of course not!"

"Well, then, let's keep going," Anna said.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to look around a little bit more," Cole reasoned. "Besides, the scanner only picked up a few skeletons. We can take them no problem!"

Strangely, no one seemed to take comfort in that fact.

After a few more minutes of walking through the dense foliage, Anna began to get the distinct feeling that someone – or something – was following them. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of white.

_The exact color of a skeleton..._

By the time Anna figured out what was going on, it was too late to warn her teammates. With the sharp crack of branches and the clatter of bones, the entire skeleton army stepped out from behind the bushes. Their eyes radiated hatred, and they gave off an aura of pure evil. Each warrior wore mismatched armor and held a jagged steel blade, waiting for the order to attack.

"It's an ambush!" yelled Cole. "Everyone, retreat!"

The ninjas broke into a full sprint back the way they came. They didn't get very far before they ran smack into Generals Kruncha and Nuckal, the second and third in command of the army.

"I can't believe how easy this was," gloated Kruncha. "You ninjas walked right into our trap! This is going to be a piece of cake!"

"Cake?" Nuckal piped up, suddenly interested. "I don't see any cake. Did the ninjas bring it? Let me have a slice!"

"No, you idiot!" Kruncha whacked Nuckal over the head with his bone club. "That was just an expression!"

"But I'm really hungry..." Nuckal said with disappointment.

"Just attack!" Kruncha bellowed.

The ninja stood back to back, bracing themselves for a fight.

"Whatever happens, we fight together," said Cole.

"Right," Kai, Nya, and Anna agreed in unison.

At that very moment, the skeleton army surged forward with their weapons drawn and attacked.

The ninjas were quickly overwhelmed. No matter how fiercely they fought, there were too many skeleton warriors.

"Kai, if you have any bright ideas, now would be a great time to use them!" Cole called.

"I thought you were the one with all the ideas!" Kai argued.

"Well, someone think of something, because we're running out of options!" Nya said.

Just then, the skeleton Anna was fighting knocked the sword out of her hands. "Scratch that," she said as she backed away from her foe. "We are officially out of options."

Before Anna could get help from her fellow ninjas, General Wyplash and a few of his trained stealth skeletons sneaked up behind her, wrestled her to the ground, and tied her up. She tried to break free, but her bonds were so tight she could barely move.

"Cole! Nya! Someone, help!" she screamed as the skeletons dragged her away.

Cole turned and saw what was going on. "Anna! Hold on!" He tried to get to Anna, but the hordes of skeletons blocked his path.

"It looks like we're done here," laughed Kruncha. "Time to report back to Lord Garmadon."

Cole watched in horror as a swirling purple portal leading to who knows where appeared in the forest. The skeletons marched through, taking Anna with them.

"Cole! HELP!" she begged.

Sadly, there was nothing Cole could do as she was carried away into the darkness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The whole ride back to the Bounty, Cole couldn't stop blaming himself for what happened earlier. "It's all my fault. I should have known that we were walking right into a trap."

"Cole, it going to be okay. Anna's tough. I'm sure she'll be fine until we can rescue her," Nya tried to reassure him.

"No. It's not okay," Cole said. "I'm supposed to be the leader. What kind of leader lets their own teammate get captured?"

"Right now, we need you to focus on the present. The past is the past," Nya insisted as Cole landed his dragon in the clearing where the Destiny's Bounty was anchored. Kai, who insisted on riding alone, landed next to them. Soon, all three ninjas were walking up the stairs to the Bounty's bridge.

Cole sighed. "I guess you're right, as always. It's time to go save Anna."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The first thing Anna noticed about the Underworld was the darkness. It wasn't like anything she had experienced before, but the best way she could describe it was oppressive. Even if it were lighter, Anna still wouldn't be able to see anything from her vantage point slung over a skeleton's shoulder.

The first glimpse Anna got of the Underworld was when she was dropped by her captor and prodded forward with his sharp blade.

The entire realm was lit with torches that burned with ominous purple fire, bathing the landscape in a sinister light. Several bone bridges connected small plateaus of land rising from the gloomy mist below. There was absolutely no vegetation, but the entire terrain was littered with piles of rocks and a few bones. When Anna looked up, the only thing she saw was more inky blackness.

As the skeletons led Anna deeper into the Underworld, she could see that they were taking her to the only structure she had seen so far. It looked like a medieval castle, only it was made of pure black marble and trimmed in bones. Anna had a feeling that she was about to find out why she was here.

When the army approached the castle, a huge wooden drawbridge was let down on black iron chains, spanning the chasm that secluded the evil stronghold. The skeletons marched straight over it to the heart of the castle. They finally stopped Anna in front of a large bone throne and cut her bonds. She tried to look for an escape route, but she didn't have many choices considering over a thousand armed skeleton warriors blocked the only exit.

Deep laughter echoed through the throne room, startling Anna. She turned her attention towards the throne and saw shadows beginning to solidify into a slightly human form.

"Lord Garmadon," Anna spat.

"Anna!" Garmadon exclaimed cheerily. "Fancy meeting you here! How was your trip down?"

"Oh, it was great," Anna replied sarcastically. "Especially the part where I got kidnapped by skeletons."

"I knew you'd enjoy it."

"Listen, Garmadon," Anna seethed, "I don't care about anything you have to say. I'd rather rot down here than do anything you tell me."

"Oh, what a shame," Garmadon said with mock sympathy. "Well, if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to someone a little more personal."

As Garmadon spoke, Anna saw a woman emerge from the shadows behind the throne. At first she was a little hard to make out, but when she stepped into the light, Anna could clearly see her caramel hair cascading over her shoulders and her hazel eyes glittering with amusement. Anna gasped. There was only one person this mystery woman could be.

"Mom?!"

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think? I know it's kinda short, but it was my brother's birthday party today and I was really busy. **

** By the way, I am so sorry that last chapter I forgot to thank all those amazing people who reviewed, so I'll do it now:**

**Thanks to zella5752, ZaneLoverFan88 and a Guest for reviewing Chapter 1, and ZaneLoverFan88, KaiRulesSuckers and a Guest for reviewing Chapter 2. Reading all your comments really made my day!**

**- In response to ZaneLoverFan88 - Oh my gosh! I didn't even realize that until you pointed it out! And I call myself a Ninjago fan... *mentally facepalms* Anyway, I don't think I can really do anything about that now, since I'm already at Chapter 3. But, you live and you learn, I guess.**

**Thank you all again, and I'll see you next week with Chapter 4! Until then, Read and Review!**

** ~ Shadow**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! I know I left you on sort of a cliff hanger last chapter, so I won't talk much. I just wanted to say thank you in advance to all the people who reviewed so far! That's all, so now I'll let you get to the story!**

_**Note: I do not own Ninjago.**_

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Four: <em>Mission Impossible<em>**

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Jay whispered to Cole as the four ninjas hid behind a clump of bushes on the outskirts of Jamanakai Village.

"It has to," Cole whispered back. "As soon as Nya comes back with the Traveler's Tea, we can go to the Underworld and rescue Anna."

"Remind me again why we can't just use our dragons," grumbled Kai. "Isn't that how we got to the Underworld last time?"

"I told you," Cole said frustrated, "the dragons are too tired from flying us around all day. They need to be at full strength to cross over into the Underworld, and we can't afford to wait any longer."

"But isn't that what we're doing right now? Waiting?" Kai argued.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," commented Zane.

"Yeah, Nya should be back any minute now," Jay added. "So just sit tight."

"It feels like all we're ever doing is sitting," Kai muttered. Of course, he wasn't necessarily anxious about rescuing Anna, but he still felt like they should actually be _doing_ something.

Besides, Kai was starting to reconsider his suspicions about Anna. She sure hadn't looked like a spy for the skeletons when she was dragged away in the forest. Then again, how would the skeletons have known where to find them if she wasn't a spy? Kai didn't have an explanation, but he did have a feeling that he'd find out soon.

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Nya was starting to get annoyed. She'd already been at Mystake's tea shop for half an hour, and she still didn't have the tea she needed. A few minutes later, Mystake returned from the storage room in the back.

"So do you have the Traveler's Tea?" Nya asked expectantly.

"All sold out," Mystake said gruffly. "Lady came in earlier this morning and must have bought my last jar."

Nya wasn't convinced. "Look, what's it going to take to get Traveler's Tea?" She planted her hands on her hips.

"I told you, little girl, I don't have any-" she stopped mid sentence as Nya threw a pile of gold coins on the table.

"Give me the Traveler's Tea," Nya demanded.

"There might be one jar left in my emergency supply," Mystake said sheepishly. "I'll go grab it for you." She swept the coins off the counter into her pocket, then ran back to the storage room. Seconds later, she returned and handed Nya a small glass jar filled with a strange gray powder. Mystake glanced around the room as if to make sure no one was watching, then pulled Nya closer.

"I don't usually sell my most dangerous teas to mere children," she whispered. "You know those who use Traveler's Tea are said to never return."

Nya shrugged Mystake's bony hand off her shoulder. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm sure I'll be fine." Then she turned and headed out of the shop to meet with the ninjas.

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"Okay, I have a really good one," Jay promised. "Why was the skeleton too scared to face the ninja?" He paused to create suspense. When no one answered, he blurted out, "because he had no guts! Huh? Huh?"

Cole and Kai groaned while Zane kept his eyes fixed on the village, waiting for Nya.

"Jay, you really need to stop telling jokes," Cole advised.

"Why because you're jealous of my awesome abilities?" Jay bragged.

Cole rolled his eyes. "No, it's because your jokes are so terrible that they could be your secret weapon. Just tell one on the battlefield and all your enemies would immediately fall down moaning and covering their ears."

"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Jay grumbled.

"Ugh, how long does it take to get a stupid jar of tea? I'm tired of waiting!" Kai complained.

Suddenly, Zane turned to face the other three. "There she is now," he said pointing at a small figure coming towards them. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"About time," Kai said.

"Yeah, if I had to hear another one of Jay's lame jokes, I think I'd go insane," added Cole.

"Hey!" Jay protested.

As nonchalantly as they could, the ninjas got up from their hiding spot and sauntered over to meet Nya, trying not to attract much attention.

When they reached Nya, Cole asked, "Did you get the tea?"

As an answer, Nya produced a small jar filled with gray powder from a bag she was carrying. "You will not believe what it took for me to get this."

"Alright, I guess we owe you one later, but right now we have to figure out how to use this," Cole said.

"Oh, that won't be a problem," replied Nya. "I've seen Sensei Wu use Traveler's Tea before. I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"Okay, so what do we do first?" asked Jay.

"Well, Traveler's Tea only works at a high altitude," said Nya.

"Then we're in the right place," Zane said. "The mountains surrounding Jamanakai Village are some of the highest points in Ninjago."

"What are we waiting for?" yelled Kai. "Let's get climbing!"

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"Finally, we're here!" Jay's voice rang out through the crystal clear air at the summit of a snow-capped mountain. "See, I told you we'd make it."

"What are you talking about?" Cole questioned. "The whole climb up you were complaining how it would take years to reach the top!"

While Jay and Cole were arguing, Nya looked around at their surroundings.

"This is perfect!" she exclaimed. "Now, let's get this tea started."

She bent down and cleared away some snow to reveal a small circle of partially dry ground. Then she took a few pieces of wood from her bag and arranged them campfire style on the ground. Looking up, she said, "Kai, will you do the honors?"

"Sure thing, Nya!" Kai drew his Sword of Fire and shot a bolt of white hot flames at the wood. The dry fuel hissed and smoked, igniting instantly. Everyone gathered close to the warmth except Zane, who seemed completely unaffected by the near-freezing temperatures on the mountain. Nya took two last items from her bag: a tea kettle from the Bounty and the precious jar of Traveler's Tea.

Setting the tea down gently, she filled the kettle with snow. As soon as she placed the kettle over the fire, the snow inside melted into fresh water. When the water reached a boil, Nya removed the kettle from the fire, sprinkled the Traveler's Tea in, and replaced the kettle's lid.

"This is the most important part, guys. I need you all to stand close together around the fire," Nya directed. "As soon as I pour the tea around us, a portal to the Underworld should appear, but it will only grant access to those inside the circle I pour."

The ninjas did what Nya said, and she poured the tea around them, being careful to stay within the circle herself. Right after she poured the last drop, the wind began to pick up, and suddenly a giant, swirling portal appeared in front of them, identical to the one they saw in the forest.

Everyone stared at it for a few seconds, then Jay asked, "Do you think this will take us straight to Garmadon's dark fort?"

"There's only one way to find out," said Cole with determination. He dove through the portal, followed closely by the other ninjas and Nya, until all that was left on the mountain was a small, slowly dying fire and an empty tea kettle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kai wished he had never stepped through that portal. After all, why did he care what happened to Anna? But still, here he was, hurtling through the darkness at nauseating speeds. He glanced around trying to get his bearings, but there was nothing to see. Just when he thought he'd be falling forever, his body connected with solid ground. He slowly sat up, rubbed his head, and asked, "Where are we?"

Kai could see his fellow ninjas sprawled out around him, trying to get up.

Cole was the first one to recover. "It looks like we're in the right place," he said, glancing at their gloomy surroundings.

"Yeah, but how did we even survive that fall?" Jay questioned as he brushed dust off his ninja suit.

"That doesn't matter," said Cole. "We have to find where Garmadon's keeping Anna."

"Like maybe the giant fort that we happen to be standing on top of?" guessed Jay.

"What?"

Only then did the ninjas realize that they were not on the ground. By sheer luck, the Traveler's Tea had deposited them on the west turret of Garmadon's fortress.

Peering over the edge, Kai could spot skeletons carting supplies over the drawbridge into the fort, or simply milling around the plaza.

"We're definitely not going to be able to get in the main entrance," Kai pointed out.

"Then we'll just have to find another way in," Cole said.

Everyone crouched down and started scouring the floor for some sort of trap door. Finally, a panel of the floor slid away, revealing a staircase leading into blackness.

No one made a move to enter.

Then, Jay cleared his throat. "Uhh...ladies first?" he said to Nya.

She scowled at him. "Oh, why thank you, Jay. You are such a gentleman," she said sarcastically, and started down the narrow passageway. The ninjas followed her, single file, descending flights into the darkness.

After what seemed like an eternity, a small rectangle of dim purple light appeared in front of them. One by one, the ninjas climbed through the opening into a spacious room. Realizing they were exposed in the open, the ninjas ducked behind a large bone pillar and scanned their surroundings.

"Look, there's Anna!" Cole exclaimed as he pointed to their missing teammate standing in the center of the room.

"Yeah, and there's Garmadon," Jay whispered, gesturing to the throne where the Lord of Shadows sat looming over Anna.

"What are we going to do now?!" Nya panicked. "We can't risk getting spotted, or we won't be any better off than Anna!"

Kai, however, wasn't so concerned with their predicament. His gaze was transfixed on the woman standing next to Garmadon. "No..." he breathed. "It can't be."

It was the same woman from his dream – Anna's mother.

Feelings of anger, confusion, and resentment washed over Kai, but for once in his life, he was able to keep his emotions in check.

From where he was positioned, Kai could just barely make out a few words of the conversation between Anna and her mother. He leaned forward as much as he could and strained to hear more of the discussion.

"Mom?!" Anna was saying. "Why – how – what are you doing down here with Garmadon?"

Anna's mother started to speak, but Garmadon broke in and answered for her. "Oh, you'll find that Lillian is working for me now."

"What?" Anna asked in wide-eyed horror.

"Anna, honey..." Lillian tried to explain. "There's so much more at stake here than you realize."

"Oh, really?" Anna said incredulously. "Like what?"

Lillian sighed. "Look, I'm only doing this so your father-" she stopped abruptly, realizing what she had just said. It was too late, though.

Anna had already heard enough. "You know something about Dad?! He's alive? Where is he, then?"

"The point is, you're too powerful," Lillian tried to quickly change the subject.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Anna yelled.

"The last time children were born into the line of those trained in the way of the First Spinjitzu Master, they had to be...taken care of," Lillian explained. "They were too powerful to be allowed to stay with their family."

"Wait – kids of someone just as powerful as the First Spinjitzu Master? Who?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with Kai and Nya, right?" Lillian asked.

At that point, Kai couldn't stand it anymore. Completely disregarding the fact that he was supposed to stay hidden, Kai charged towards the throne, yelling, "What did you do to my parents?!"

Lord Garmadon just laughed. "So, Kai, you were foolish enough to follow my skeletons here? Where's the rest of your team, boy?"

"They're still back at the surface," Kai lied, not wanting to get his friends in further trouble. "I'm the only one that came."

He shot Nya and the others a look that said, _Get out. Now._ He figured that there was a way back to the surface around here somewhere, and he had faith that Nya would be able to find it. Kai watched his teammates sneak away into the darkness, then turned back to face Lillian.

"Kai, your parents were great people, and I was very close friends with them," Lillian began.

"I don't want to hear it, you witch!" Kai shouted. "Just fess up already. What did you do to my parents?"

Lillian winced at Kai's tone. "I did absolutely nothing to them."

"Right," Kai said disbelievingly. "Okay, so then where are they?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

Kai balled his fists. "You better tell me something, or else you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

"Okay, fine!" Lillian said, holding up her hands. "All I did on that night many years ago was merely separate you and your sister from your parents. Trust me, it was for the better."

"For who?" Kai seethed. "Me or you?"

"For everyone!" Lillian replied, slightly loosing her cool. "You don't know what I know, Kai. It's not your fault, and I know you can't change who you are, but you and Anna have to stay here."

Now it was Anna's turn to start yelling. "What? I didn't really understand much of what you just said, but I am most definitely not staying here!"

Lillian looked close to tears. "I'm sorry, Anna, but this has to be done. I hope you'll be able to forgive me someday."

Then she said in a louder, more confident voice, "Guards! Lock these two up in the dungeon and make sure they don't escape!"

Before Kai and Anna had time to react, skeletons emerged from the darkness on all sides and seized them. Kai and Anna were tied up and gagged, then the skeletons dragged them, kicking and screaming, deeper into the castle.

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you all think? I hope I didn't make it too confusing. I know this chapter left a lot of things unanswered, but don't worry! Everything will be explained eventually (I hope!). **

**A gigantic thanks to the people that reviewed last chapter: ZaneLoverFan88, zella5752, Darkrainbow, and KaiRulesSuckers. Your reviews help me keep on writing, and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy it so far!**

**Response to Reviews:**

**ZaneLoverFan88 - Thanks for telling me I'm not alone! It made me feel a lot better!**

**Darkrainbow - Your OC sounds awesome! I don't really know if I can fit her into the story, but I'll think about it. Thanks anyway!**

**KaiRulesSuckers - That is pretty catchy...I like it!**

**Again, thank you so much, and I'll see you all next week with Chapter 5!**

**~Shadow**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi there guys! I hope you guys liked the last chapter. I know it might not have been one of my best. A big thanks to all the people who favorited/followed my story so far. You guys are awesome! And now here's your reward: the next chapter!**

_**Note: I do not own Ninjago.**_

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Five: <strong>_**Escaping the Darkness**_

Anna didn't know what to think anymore. In the past twenty-four hours, she had experienced more shock and confusion than she ever had in her entire life. Being kidnapped by skeletons, dragged to the Underworld, and seeing her mother working for Garmadon was just too much for Anna to handle. Now, as she sat in a cold and damp prison cell in Garmadon's fortress, she felt more alone than ever. Of course, Kai had been thrown into the prison cell with her, but she doubted he would provide her with much comfort.

Anna couldn't hold her emotions back any longer. Completely against her will, she began to sob quietly, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. She hated hearing her soft cries echoing through the darkness and tried unsuccessfully to calm herself down. A few minutes later, Anna heard a rustling noise to her left. She felt a hand on her shoulder and gasped in surprise.

"Relax, it's only me," she heard Kai say, even though she couldn't see him. He paused then said, "You okay?"

"No."

"Look, Anna, don't be so upset. We'll get through this together, I promise," soothed Kai.

"Easy for you to say!" Anna tried to make her voice sound strong. "You didn't just get thrown into a dungeon by your own mother! And what do you mean by 'we'?"

"I don't even know if my parents are alive or not, so what's your point? Like it or not, this is as much about my family as it is yours. We're in this together. If we just sit around here feeling sorry for ourselves, we're not going to accomplish anything," Kai insisted.

"Okay then, what do you suggest? Let's hear it," Anna challenged.

"Well, I don't exactly have a plan," Kai admitted, then he quickly added, "but I'm sure we'll think of something as we go. The whole reason they locked us up is because we're supposedly really powerful or something, right?"

"I guess so. But you know as well as I do that neither of us are any better than the other ninjas," Anna sighed.

"That doesn't matter," said Kai. "Let them believe what they want to believe. Maybe we can use their fears against them."  
>"I see what you're talking about!" Anna grinned. "First of all, though, how are we going to get out of this cell? Garmadon put his best skeleton generals in charge of guarding us."<p>

"Yeah, but even the best skeletons are still dumber than dirt!" Kai joked. "We can get out of here faster than you can say Ninja-go!"

"So you have a plan?" Anna questioned.

"Of course I do! Just follow my lead."

Kai cleared his throat, then yelled, "Hey, all you skeletons! You better drop your weapons right now if you know what's good for you!" As he spoke, the smooth walls of the dungeon reflected his voice so it sounded like it was coming from all directions.

Anna caught on and added, "You heard him! You might as well give up right now, because we have you surrounded!" Her words also sounded as if they was spoken by ten people instead of one.

Anna could hear the clatter of bones as the skeletons guarding her cell panicked. Then she heard the clang of metal and finally a loud thud.

Kai's plan had actually worked! In the darkness, the skeletons must have attacked each other, thinking he was a ninja. Before they could figure out what was really happening, they had knocked each other unconscious.

Meanwhile, Kai felt around outside the cell until he found one of the skeleton's key ring. Once he found it, he grabbed it and threw it to Anna.

"What did I say?" Kai grinned as Anna carefully unlocked their cell door. "Easy-peasy."

I wouldn't be so sure," warned Anna. That was only the beginning."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nya still felt bad about leaving her brother and Anna alone with Garmadon. But, it wasn't like she had much of a choice. Plus, she had faith that Kai would figure something out.

Right now, though, she had to concentrate on getting the other ninjas back safely to the surface. Kai was counting on her.

So far, they had managed to safely escape the throne room back into the secret passage they came in, but they weren't in the clear yet. Still, Nya figured they'd be fine as long as no one made any noises…

"Hey, Nya!" Jay's loud whisper cut through the silence like a knife. "I was wondering, how exactly are we going to escape…mfff!"

Nya covered Jay's mouth with her hand before he could say any more.

"Quiet!" she hissed in his ear. "Do you want to let every single skeleton in the Underworld know we're here?"

"Sorry…"

"Look, the plan is simple. The only two beings that can create portals leading to and from the Underworld are skeletons and dragons, right? So since we don't have our dragons at the moment, all we have to do is force a skeleton to create a portal for us," Nya explained.

"Oh is that all?" Cole said sarcastically. "Sounds real simple."

After a few more minutes, the ninjas came to the end of the passageway.

"Here we are. Everyone, stay back until I say so," ordered Nya.

Slowly and carefully, Nya lifted the trapdoor a few inches. She scanned the turret, finding only one pair of bony feet.

Good. The guard was alone.

Nya turned back around and whispered as quietly as possible, "Okay, guys, wait for it…wait for it…now!" She threw open the trapdoor and charged towards the skeleton. Before the guard could even cry out in alarm, the four ninjas had him pinned to the ground with a hand over his mouth and Cole's Scythe of Quakes pressed against his throat.

"Listen up, skeleton. You're going to do exactly as we say or you won't like the results very much," Cole growled. He jabbed his scythe harder against the skeleton's throat for emphasis.

"Our offer is very simple," Nya added. "All you have to do is make us a portal back to the surface and we'll let you go free."

The skeleton just laughed. "Ha! Why would I ever do what a ninja told me to? Let me make you a deal. Do me a favor, and I'll make you your portal. If you don't, well, I'll let the entire Underworld know you're here. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"Fine," Nya gave in. She gestured for the ninjas to release the skeleton. "What's your favor?"

The skeleton grinned evilly. "I want you to get rid of Garmadon's child."

"Lloyd?" Cole asked. "I know he can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but what harm can he possibly do?"

"Not much on his own," the skeleton agreed. "The problem is, he's Garmadon's favorite. If we don't get rid of him before he gets older, Garmadon will put him in charge of our army. And we can all see how that's going to turn out."

"If you're really that worried, then why can't you get rid of him on your own?" questioned Nya.

"Don't you know anything?" the skeleton scoffed. "If any of us even laid a finger on Garmadon's precious boy, there's no telling what he'd do to us. But he already hates you ninjas. Besides, this way you can rid Ninjago of one more menace, if you can even call Lloyd that."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Cole reasoned.

"Yeah, it would be nice to get the little brat under control for once," Jay agreed.

"I'll even sweeten the deal by bringing Lloyd right to you," said the skeleton. "Just wait here." He slipped down the passageway that the ninjas had emerged from a little while before. Then, a few minutes later, he emerged again with Lloyd following close behind him.

As soon as Lloyd saw the ninjas, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, what's going on here?" he demanded. "What are these ninjas doing in the Underworld?!"

"Sorry, kid," the skeleton said roughly, "but you're going with them."

"What? But you told me there would be candy out here!" Lloyd yelled.

"Yeah, about that," said the skeleton. "I lied. See you around, losers!"

He snapped his fingers, and a huge portal appeared behind the ninjas. Then he shoved Lloyd into the ninjas, causing them to lose their balance, and the entire group fell backwards into the portal.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"C'mon, Anna, hurry up!" Kai whispered. "We have to find Nya and the others!"

"How are they supposed to help us?" Anna whispered back. She pulled Kai behind a weapons rack to avoid getting spotted by a passing guard.

"How should I know? Just follow me and stay in the shadows. We're about to enter Garmadon's throne room."

If there was one perk of being a ninja, Anna thought, it was being trained in stealth. She and Kai successfully made it to the secret passageway in the throne room without getting spotted. Silently, Anna opened the door, and she and Kai took the stairs inside two at a time.

When they reached the top, Anna didn't bother to check the turret for skeletons. She pushed open the trapdoor and jumped out, followed by Kai.

"Look, Kai!" Anna said excitedly. "There's our ticket out of here!" She pointed to the far end of the turret, where the rest of their team stood in front of a portal most likely leading to the surface.

"Yeah, but did you notice that skeleton warrior standing in between us and the portal, or did you just happen to overlook that fact?" Kai asked.

"If you don't quit complaining and hurry up, we'll ever make it!" Anna said. She grabbed Kai's arm and started running towards the portal. At the same time, the skeleton shoved a small child – was that Lloyd? – towards the ninjas and Nya, and they all fell into the portal.

"We have to follow them!" Anna cried. "Kai, get a move on!"

"We're never going to make it!" Kai panted.

"Oh, yes we will!" Anna said. "Jump!"

Kai and Anna threw themselves in the general direction of the portal, but while they were still in mid-air, it closed. Both ninjas landed face-first on the hard stone floor, moaning.

When they finally stood up, they froze. Staring back at them were dozens of skeleton warriors who didn't look too pleased seeing that their prisoners were no longer in prison.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Did you really think you could escape?" Garmadon bellowed from his throne. "I know about everything that goes on in my realm!"

"Save it, Garmadon!" Anna yelled. "I don't care how many times you throw Kai and me in jail. We'll just keep escaping again and again!"

"Then maybe we can just finish you right now," Garmadon shot back.

"No!" said Lillian desperately. "We need to keep them alive!"

"Why would you care, 'mother'? Or should I even call you that?" spat Anna.

"Of course I care!" said Lillian. "I only want what's best for you!"

Anna looked as though she was about to explode. "That's a lie and you know it!" She backed away from Lillian until she was standing next to Kai. "One way or another I'm getting home. And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

As soon as she said that, a strong wind started to rip though the room they were in.

"What is she doing?" Garmadon yelled to be heard over the sound of the howling winds.

Everyone in the room looked extremely nervous, including Anna herself. The winds seemed to be gathering around her and Kai, and Anna couldn't figure out why. She shut her eyes tight, grabbed Kai's hand, and said in a small voice, "I have no idea what's going on, but no matter what, just don't let go of my hand."

Just when the winds reached such high speeds that they threatened to rip apart the whole fort, there was a flash of light that temporarily blinded Garmadon and Lillian. When they regained their vision, they looked all around the room, but Anna and Kai were gone.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, I left off on another sort-of cliffhanger. I really do love you guys, but that just seemed like a good place to end it to me. Also, I'm sorry if that was short, I was kinda rushed when I wrote it.**

**Anyways, big, big thanks to all those who reviewed: ZaneLoverFan88, Ninjawuvr123, and Darkrainbow. Thanks so much!**

**That's all I got, so Read and Review, and I'll see you later!**

**~Shadow**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**_** The Power Within**_

Lord Garmadon and Lillian frantically scoured the throne room for any signs of either Anna or Kai. It seemed as if they had disappeared into thin air, but of course that wasn't possible – was it?

When Garmadon realized that his two prisoners were obviously not anywhere to be found, he jabbed his finger at Lillian.

"This is all your fault!" he yelled furiously. "We should have killed those brats when we had the chance!"

"And what exactly would that accomplish?" Lillian asked. "You were the one who had those two locked up together! What were you thinking? You know that they gain power from each other!"

"Yes, but I didn't expect them to be experienced enough to actually use it!" Garmadon countered.

"What kind of excuse is that? Are you forgetting the only reason I'm working for you? If it weren't for Anna and Kai's power, I'd be long gone!"

"But, no matter how hard we try, we can't change the past," Garmadon pointed out. "And unless you never want to see your husband again, I suggest you keep your loyalties with me. Now, go assemble the skeletons. I don't care if you have to search all of Ninjago, but don't come back until you have Kai and Anna in your possession!"

"You may have me completely under your control for now, but just you wait," Lillian threatened. "As soon as you uphold your end of the deal, you'll be sorry you ever messed with my family."

Lillian spun on her heel and stalked out of the room, slamming the heavy stone doors behind her as she left.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The last thing Anna remembered was standing in front of Garmadon in the Underworld. She couldn't clearly picture the events that had happened next. Screaming at her mother, the winds picking up, the blinding light – it all blurred together like a bad dream. Anna figured she must have blacked out then, because she couldn't recall anything that happened after that.

When she came to, Anna found that she was at Mega Monster Amusement Park, standing in front of the Ferris wheel. She smiled at the thought of all the memories her family had shared here when she was younger. A few small kids raced past her to get in line, but other than that, nobody gave Anna a second glance.

Then Anna realized that she had no idea how she got here. She noticed that Kai was standing next to her just as he was in the Underworld, his eyes shut tight and his hand still clamped on hers. Anna nudged him slightly, and he opened his eyes.

When he saw that they weren't in the Underworld anymore, he gasped. "What the –? What happened? Why are we in an amusement park?"

"I have absolutely no idea in the slightest," Anna answered. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, we were in the Underworld confronting Garmadon, and it got windy, then there was this light, and – that's it. I can't remember anymore."

"Same with me," agreed Anna. "I just don't know."

"You don't think you teleported us out of the Underworld somehow, do you?" Kai asked in a hushed voice.

"That's crazy!" Anna laughed, but she sounded nervous. "The only beings that can go to and from the Underworld at will are skeletons and dragons, and even they have to create portals first."

"Then how do you explain those winds? I'm pretty sure that it usually doesn't get windy indoors. And what about that light? Where did that come from?" Kai questioned.

"Hey!" The Ferris wheel operator's voice snapped Kai and Anna back into reality. "Either get in line, or move out of the way so the other paying customers can get through!"

"Oh! Sorry, sir," Anna apologized. She and Kai then walked away from the ride towards the exit.

"I don't know what's going on," Anna said to Kai, "but I know who does. We have to get back to the Bounty and find Sensei Wu. Hopefully he can tell us what's going on. We can also meet up with the rest of our friends, assuming that they made it back somehow."

"That sounds like a great plan, but do you actually have any idea how to get to the Bounty from here?" Kai asked.

"We're looking for a giant flying ship in the middle of the forest," Anna said. "How hard can it be to find?"

"I don't know," doubted Kai. "Sounds to me a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Anna sighed. "Come on! If we keep walking, we're bound to get there eventually."

"Okay," Kai gave in. "Let's go then. We have a long walk ahead of us."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

By the time Kai and Anna got back to the Bounty, the sun was already starting to set. As they approached their home, the two saw their friends waving to them from the deck of the ship. Kai and Anna ran the rest of the way to the Bounty, eager to see the people from whom they had been separated for so long.

The rest of the team had the same idea and dashed to meet Anna and Kai before they even got to the ship.

"You're alive!" Nya shouted as she embraced her brother. "I was so worried…"

"It was nothing." Kai shrugged. "You should have seen me, though. I came up with the most brilliant plan, outsmarted Garmadon, and –"

Anna kicked him in the shin and glared at him.

"Oh, and I guess Anna helped out a little bit, too," Kai added.

"But how did you get out of the Underworld?" Cole wondered aloud.

"That's what we want to ask Sensei," Anna replied, "because we have no idea."

"You'll have to save your question for later," Zane said. "Sensei Wu isn't here."

"Not here?" Anna said. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"Not really," Cole admitted. "He was gone when we got here."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," said Jay. "He probably just left to get supplies, or maybe some tea. You know how Sensei loves his tea."

"While we wait for him, why don't you and Kai tell us about what happened," Cole suggested to Anna. "You have to have some idea of how you got back."

"Okay, I guess we can tell you, but I'm not sure you'll be able to make sense of it either," said Anna.

She then told her friends everything that had happened to her and Kai, from the time she got kidnapped to when they mysteriously arrived at Mega Monster Amusement Park.

When she finished, the expressions on her friends' faces looked even more shocked and confused than when she had started.

"See? I tried to tell you that you wouldn't understand," Anna said.

"You'd be better off not worrying about it," Kai advised. "The important thing is that we're all here now, safe and sound."

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the air, coming from below the decks.

"What was that?" asked Anna.

"That would be our 'guest'," Jay groaned.

"Who?"

"Lloyd," Jay said. "But before you yell at us, I just want to say for the record, we didn't really have much of a choice."

"I can't stand that kid!" Nya complained. "You can't even leave him alone for five minutes without him breaking or ruining something!"

"I wonder what he's gotten himself into this time?" Cole sighed.

"I just hope he hasn't burned down the whole downstairs by now," Jay muttered.

The ninjas raced down the stairs towards the place where they last heard the crashing noises. When they entered the game room, the ninjas saw that the cabinet that held all their video games had fallen over, and all the games had spilled out all over the floor. Standing beside the mess, looking as innocent as possible was Lloyd Garmadon.

Lloyd took one glance at the angry looks the ninjas were giving him, and immediately he started to explain himself. "All I was trying to do was get a few video games because I am sooo bored!" he said. "How was I supposed to know that the entire cabinet was going to fall over on me? Luckily, I jumped out of the way before I got crushed."

"Oh yeah. Lucky us," Kai said sarcastically.

Jay, however, was pretty upset. "Do you know how long it took me to organize all those games? Weeks! I'll never be able to get them in alphabetical order like that again! Not to mention that half of the discs are probably cracked beyond repair from having a giant cabinet fall on them! I spent my entire life savings buying all of those!"

"Okay, Jay, we get it," Anna said, stepping between him and Lloyd. "You know what? How about all you guys go get some rest or something? I'll clean up here."

Reluctantly, the ninjas left, one by one, until Anna was alone with Lloyd.

Completely out of nowhere, a saying her dad used to tell her a lot popped into Anna's head: "_The best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend". _ Anna didn't know why she thought of that just now, but she was glad she did. She felt that the saying applied perfectly to her situation right now.

As Anna picked up the cracked discs off the floor, she said, "You know, Lloyd, I think I know how you feel."

"What are you talking about?" snapped Lloyd. "No one understands me. I'm no good at being good, and when I try to be evil, people like those stupid skeletons just take advantage of me then betray me! It's not fair."

"Believe me, I don't always do the right thing either," said Anna, thinking about all the times she had tried to get revenge on her little brother because she was jealous of the attention her parents gave him. "And I have plenty of experience with betrayal," she continued, remembering her mother giving the order to lock her in the dungeon. "I think we have a lot more in common than you think," she finished.

"Maybe," Lloyd mumbled, "but now I'm stuck here. I think I'll die of boredom if I don't leave soon."

"You'll get used to it sooner or later. Trust me, the ninjas are really great, once you get to know them," Anna promised. "It's pretty late, so why don't you go to sleep? Maybe you'll feel better tomorrow."

Anna continued cleaning up the video games, placing the undamaged discs into the cabinet she had stood back up. After working for a little while longer, Anna looked over to see what Lloyd was doing.

He was already out like a light, snoring softly as he slept on the couch.

Anna smiled. This kid wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, pretty short, but hopefully it was still good. Thanks to my awesome reviewers: ZaneLoverFan88, NinjaMelissa, and HiroKaiMarc. Also, thanks even if you just read my last chapter and didn't review! ;)**

**Response to Reviews:**

**ZaneLoverFan88: No, but you'll see soon enough...**

**NinjaMelissa: Not exactly...but sort of!**

**Please Read, Review, and check back next week for Chapter 7!**

**~Shadow**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys! How's it going? Anyways, here's Chapter 7, so I hope you enjoy!**

_**Note: I do not own Ninjago.**_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter Seven:<em> Mischief<em>**

Anna yawned and blinked at the bright sunlight streaming through the window in her room. She glanced at her alarm clock. 9:25. That was strange. Usually Anna was woken up at crack of dawn for training or something like that. She wasn't too concerned, though. Maybe today she could just relax and not have to worry about anything.

That feeling only lasted for a few minutes.

Just when she was ready to head to breakfast, she heard an loud bang followed by yelling. She couldn't make out much of the conversation, but the one word she heard was enough to make her take the stairs two at a time: "LLOYD!"

Anna ran into the kitchen where all the commotion was coming from.

Cole was standing in front of the oven, covered head to toe in a sticky substance that looked curiously like muffin batter. Anna followed his gaze and saw Lloyd standing in the corner of the room trying unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. A few small firecrackers were sticking out of his back pocket.

"What in Ninjago is wrong with you?!" Cole was shouting. "Those muffins were supposed to be our breakfast!"

"Aw, don't get so upset, Cole," Lloyd said back. "I was just trying to add some excitement to your cooking. Believe me, it needs it."

Cole looked furious. "You're going to pay for that, you little-"

But Lloyd had already slipped out of the room.

"Um...what's going on here?" Anna asked.

"What's going on is that devil child put firecrackers in my apple cinnamon muffins when I wasn't looking! He could have blown up the entire kitchen!" yelled Cole.

Anna sighed. "I'll go talk to him."

"Don't waste your breath," Cole advised. "It's not like that brat is going to listen to you."

Anna ignored him and went to find Lloyd. Fortunately, he wasn't that hard to locate. All she had to do was follow the angry shouts that were coming from the game room.

Once she got to the game room, Anna saw Jay sitting on the couch holding a game controller. Everything looked pretty normal.

"Anna!" Jay exclaimed once he saw her. "Get over here and help me out!"

"But you look fine to me," Anna said. "I don't understand what the problem is."

Jay shook his hands, but the controller stayed stuck to them no matter how hard he tried.

Anna had already seen enough to figure out what was going on.

"Let me guess. Lloyd put super glue on your controller, and when you went to play a video game, your hands got stuck. Am I right?"

Jay nodded. "That kid is a pain in the butt. Can we please give him back to Garmadon?"

"No. No matter how hard it is, we need to at least try to train him. Sensei would want us to, I'm sure."

She paused and looked down at Jay's hands.

"I don't know what to tell you about your hands, but you'll figure something out. I'll go find Lloyd."

Anna rushed out of the room and down the hallway.

On her way to the bridge, she ran into Zane.

"Good morning, Anna," Zane greeted.

"Hey, Zane. Have you seen Lloyd anywhere?" asked Anna.

"Not recently. But I expect that he is up to no good."

"Oh," Anna said, her face falling. "Thanks anyway. Lloyd hasn't pranked you yet, has he?"

Zane thought for a moment. "Well, this morning, Jay and I were going to practice sword-fighting before breakfast. However, when I got to the deck, I couldn't find any of the equipment. Jay said it was probably just misplaced somewhere, but now that I think about it..."

"Why does that child have to be so difficult?" Anna said under her breath. Then she added, "See you later, Zane," and dashed down the hall.

Anna rushed to the bridge. When she got there, though, she froze in her tracks.

Nya was standing in front of the controls, just as she always was. Still, something was different about her. Instead of her hair color being jet-black like usual, her hair was platinum blonde.

Anna didn't know what to say. "Nya, your hair looks..."

Nya turned around and Anna could see that she had clearly been crying. "I know, it's hideous. And it's all Lloyd's fault! When I get my hands on him, he's going to be sorry that he ever messed with me!"

Anna held up her hands. "Whoa, slow down. Start from the beginning. What exactly happened?"

Nya sighed. "I was just washing my hair this morning, and I grabbed the same shampoo bottle that I always use. The shampoo smelled a little funny, but I didn't think much of it. By the time I realized that the bottle was filled with hair dye and not shampoo, it was too late. My hair's ruined!"

Anna tried to comfort her friend. "It's not ruined. In fact, I think it actually looks pretty. Plus, you could always just dye it back to its original color."

Nya smiled. "Thanks, Anna. I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. By the way, have you seen Lloyd anywhere?"

"Actually, I have. He was headed towards the game room, but I was too embarrassed about my hair to follow him. That's why I've been in the bridge all morning," Nya replied.

"Okay. I'll go talk to Lloyd for you, then," Anna said, and she ran back the way she came.

However, when she got to the game room, Lloyd was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Anna found the four ninjas sitting around the television playing a video game – probably _Fist to Face_ _2_ or something.

Cole looked up as he saw Anna enter the room. "Hey, where have you been? You want to join us? We have an extra controller."

"Thanks, but I'm actually looking for Lloyd," said Anna. "Have you seen him?"

"That little brat?" Kai said, still focused on the game. "Why would you want to see him?"

"None of your business," Anna snapped, but she wasn't really angry. "Could you please just tell me where he is? I'm sure you've seen him."

"Fine," Kai gave in. "He was here a few minutes ago, but I told him to go away. He wouldn't stop bothering us. And after all the stuff he did to us this morning, I was pretty fed up with the kid."

Just then, Lloyd himself walked into the room, trying as hard as he could to look completely innocent.

"Hey guys. Hey Anna. How's it going?" he said.

"Lloyd! I've been looking for you all morning! What have you been up to?" Anna asked cautiously.

"Well, I've just been – you know – sitting around, doing absolutely nothing..."

"Oh, sure," said Anna sarcastically. "Then how do you explain the exploding muffins, super glued controller, missing equipment, and hair dye in Nya's shampoo bottle?"

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd tried to sound convincing, but Anna knew she had caught him off guard. "I've just been minding my own business, all morning long."

"Lloyd, look-" Anna began.

Before she could continue, Kai cut her off. "I thought I told you to go away, squirt!" he paused his game, then walked over to Lloyd. "Nobody wants you here, got it? We were better off without you, so just leave already!"

As soon as Kai said that, the overhead lighting seemed to glow a hundred times brighter than normal. It became so unbearable that Anna had to close her eyes.

When the lights returned to their usual brightness, Anna cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. She was still in the Bounty's game room, and nothing seemed out of place. However, Lloyd was no longer standing in the middle of the room. In fact, he was nowhere in sight.

"Okay, could somebody please tell me what the heck just happened?" Jay asked.

"He just...disappeared," Cole said in awe. "That's not possible – right?"

Kai was the only one who was not completely dumbfounded.

"He did not 'disappear'. You all are so gullible! Obviously, that brat is just playing another prank on us."

"Kai, I don't care how good at pranking someone is, but people do not just disappear into thin air!" Jay said.

Kai wasn't convinced. "I don't know how he did it, but that's the only logical explanation for all this!"

A few minutes later, Nya rushed in. "What was that noise?"

No one heard her question, though, because they were all too busy staring at her now-blonde hair.

"So, what's up with the new hair color?" Jay blurted out.

"That's not important right now," replied Nya. "Are you telling me that none of you heard that wind? I thought it was going to tear the whole Bounty apart, board by board.

"Something is definitely going on here," Anna said. "First the light, now the wind – you don't think the same thing happened as in the Underworld, do you, Kai?"

"The Underworld? What do you mean?" asked Cole.

Before anyone could answer, the ninjas heard footsteps in the stairwell followed by a voice: "I'm home!"

"It's Sensei Wu!" Kai exclaimed.

The ninjas ran out to meet him in the hallway.

"Sensei! You've got to help us!" Jay yelled. "When we brought Lloyd back from the Underworld, we didn't know he'd be such a pain and start pranking us, then Kai got really mad, and there was this light and wind, and then Lloyd was gone!"

"Slow down, Jay!" Sensei Wu instructed. "Lloyd – my nephew – is here?"

"Correction, he was here," Nya replied.

"In that case, then, where is he now?" Sensei Wu questioned.

"That's just it," Cole tried to explain. "We have no idea."

"But I think that Kai accidentally teleported Lloyd somewhere else," said Anna.

When Anna saw Sensei Wu's blank expression, she figured she should explain more.

"You see, it all started when..."

Anna continued to explain everything that had happened to the ninjas from the time she and Nya left on her first mission until the events that happened just before Sensei Wu returned.

When she was finished, Sensei Wu just sighed. "I see. It is more serious than even I imagined."

"Sensei, what do you mean?" asked Kai.

"Kai, Anna – I need to talk to you two in private," Sensei Wu said gravely.

When the three were settled in the game room, out of earshot of the other ninjas, Sensei Wu began.

"I chose each of you to become ninjas for your unique abilities. However, I did not imagine that you two could share some of the same power as your fathers did."

"Wait. What powers?" Anna questioned.

"You must understand," the sensei continued, "that your fathers were very skilled and powerful warriors. That is because they were among the select few that were trained in the way of the First Spinjitzu Master – an ancient fighting style passed down to me directly from my father. They had incredible power and were able to do many things. I didn't expect their powers to be handed down to you two."

"Wait just a second," said Kai. "You're saying that our fathers had this great power, and now that same power belongs to us?"

"Yes, Kai. That is correct," Sensei Wu confirmed.

"Then why didn't we know about it earlier?" Anna asked.

"It seems to me that you don't have quite the same amount of power that your fathers did," Sensei Wu said. "For that reason, you can only use your powers when you are near each other."

"This all sounds great, but we can't even control our powers," Kai pointed out.

"Yeah, I wasn't even trying to do that teleportation thing," Anna agreed. "It just happened."

"That is why you must train," Sensei Wu told them. "Learn to control your powers. That way, you can stand up against the ones who plan to put you out of the picture – permanently."

As they were talking, Nya burst into the room, looking panicked. "Sorry to interrupt, guys, but can this conversation wait until later? We've got trouble in the Badlands!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, how was you guys' Valentine's Day? I spent mine mostly watching Ninjago and eating chocolate, because I have no life XD!**

**Back on topic, HUGE thanks to my amazing reviewers: Darkrainbow, ZaneLoverFan88, and NinjaMelissa. Love you guys!**

**Response to Reviews:**

**Darkrainbow - Thank you! And I did check out that story - it was SO hilarious! As for my favorite ninja, I'm sorry to say that right now it's a three-way tie among Cole, Kai, and Lloyd. I just can't decide!**

**So, as always, Read, Review, and check back next week for Chapter 8!**

**~Shadow**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: **_**A New Evil**_

Kai and Anna glanced at each other, then at Sensei Wu. He nodded to them. "Go. Your mission is more important than anything else. We can always continue our conversation later."

Anna didn't budge. "But Sensei! What if I can't control my powers? What if I put my friends in danger?"

"Anna, come on!" Kai said impatiently. "You heard Sensei. That's just a risk we'll have to take."

Anna wanted to protest, but instead she sighed and reluctantly followed Kai and Nya to the bridge. When they got there, the other three ninjas were already waiting for them.

"Okay, sis, what's the problem?" Kai asked.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure," Nya replied. "The radar's picking up the heat signatures of dozens of creatures. They're not skeletons, but they're definitely not humans, either."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Kai. "Let's go!"

He headed for the door to go mount his dragon, but Nya grabbed his arm. "Not so fast, Kai."

"What? Is there a problem?" Kai asked.

"We're all going together this time," Nya said firmly.

"We can't risk having what happened last time happen again," Cole agreed. "Let's face it, we could use all the help we can get."

"Okay, I guess you're both right," Kai relented.

Nya walked over to the controls to set the coordinates for their destination, but this time Anna stopped her. "Wait! We can't go yet!"

"What now?" Kai questioned, slightly annoyed.

"We have no idea where Lloyd is, remember?" said Anna.

"And your point is?" retorted Kai. "I think we're much better off without him."

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "He's probably just hiding somewhere around here. But we have more pressing problems to deal with right now."

Anna wanted to tell them that Lloyd was most definitely not on anywhere on the Bounty, but then she'd have to explain the whole situation about her and Kai's powers.

Since she really didn't feel ready to revisit the subject she, Kai, and Sensei Wu discussed earlier, she instead said, "But he's Sensei's nephew! We can't just leave without knowing where he is!"

"Yes we can," Nya said. She pushed the flashing red button on the control panel, and the Destiny's Bounty began to rise into the air. Anna watched wordlessly as the forest began to shrink beneath them.

Soon, the ninjas were well on their way to the Badlands. Since Anna knew that she wasn't going to be able to convince Nya to turn the ship around, she decided there must be some way for her to escape to her room for a while.

"If everything is under control here, then I guess I'll go look around the ship for Lloyd." She knew it wasn't a totally convincing excuse, but she needed time alone to think. Plus, that was the best she could think of at the moment. Before anyone could say anything else, Anna slipped out the bridge's door and headed for her room.

Once she got there, she shut her door tight to make sure no one would bother her. She locked it, too – just for good measure. Then she flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying desperately to take in all the craziness of that day.

Now she finally knew why her mother wanted her and Kai locked up. They really were too dangerous.

Anna had seen how easily Kai had teleported Lloyd somewhere. All it took were a few misspoken words, and their powers would become uncontrollable. Anna realized with a sickening feeling that it would only be a matter of time before one of her friends was endangered because of her. The thought of it all was overwhelming.

Anna must have fallen asleep at that point because when she opened her eyes again, she heard Nya's voice coming over the loudspeaker in her room: "Anna! We're approaching the Badlands in a few minutes, so get your weapons ready and meet us down in the bridge. Over and out!"

Anna immediately got off her bed and started digging through her closet for a decent sword. As she was searching, a small object fell off the closet shelf and landed at her feet.

It was a short flute, about half a foot long, made out of a stalk of bamboo. Small holes had been carefully carved in the stem to produce a variety of pitches when played. A metal mouthpiece was fitted at the end.

Anna stopped what she was doing, bent down, and picked up the flute. She ran her fingers along the surface, turning it over and over in her hands. As she held the flute, the outside world began to fade, and Anna's mind raced back to the time when she had received the instrument.

It was her tenth birthday. The day had been filled with presents, cake, and family. Her grandparents had even come all the way from Ninjago City to her house to celebrate. Anna remembered sitting in her living room admiring her presents when her older brother Bryce had walked over to her and handed her a small package.

"Here," he said. "This is for you."

"Thank you, Bryce," Anna had replied. "I thought I had opened all my presents already, but I guess not!"

Anna gently peeled the wrapping paper off the box, then lifted the lid. Inside was a small flute.

Anna gently lifted it out of the box, and the edges of her lips turned upwards into a smile.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, hugging her brother. "But do you really think I can play it?"

"Sure you can, with a little bit of practice," Bryce assured her. "I made it myself, so it's not quite as fancy as mine, but it will still play just as well."

"I want to play it right now!" Anna said. "C'mon, will you teach me?"

"Of course, Anna. Why wouldn't I?" Bryce said as he followed Anna into her room.

Once the two got to Anna's room, they both sat down on her bed.

"Now, this song I'm going to teach you is the first thing I learned to play when I was your age. It's very simple, so I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time," said Bryce. He showed Anna how to place her fingers over the holes correctly and how to play certain notes.

Soon Anna was able to play a small portion of the tune with only a few mistakes.

"Wow, you learned this even faster than I thought you would," Bryce praised her. "Now, listen closely. I want you to take this flute with you wherever you go and practice playing it. If you're ever in trouble, play this song I just taught you as loud as you can. I'll know that you need help, and I'll be there for you as fast as I possibly can. Deal?"

"Deal," Anna agreed, and she threw her arms around her brother.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Anna! Where are you? We've landed in the Badlands and we need you down here now!" Nya's voice over the loudspeaker shook Anna out of her thoughts. For a minute, Anna forgot where she was. Then reality hit her and she remembered her team's mission to investigate the Badlands.

She quickly grabbed the sword that was propped against the back wall of her closet. She started to replace her flute on the shelf it had fallen from, but she stopped herself. Her brother's words echoed in her mind:

…_take this flute with you wherever you go…_

Before she could reconsider her judgment, Anna tucked the flute away securely in her back pocket. Then she left to join the other ninjas in the bridge. However, she didn't get that far before she met the ninjas and Nya in the hallway.

"What took you so long, Anna?" Kai questioned.

"Yeah, we have to go investigate before whatever the radar picked up disappears," Jay added.

"It took me a while to find my sword. It was buried in my closet," Anna explained. She didn't exactly lie, but she didn't give her friends the whole truth either.

"Either way, that doesn't matter now," Cole said. "Jay's right; we need to get going."

The ninjas exited the Bounty and began to explore the Badlands. Unfortunately, nothing seemed amiss. The dry landscape stretched out to meet the horizon in every direction. An occasional shrub or stunted tree dotted the parched ground, but other than that, there was no life to be found anywhere.

After walking for a while, Jay stopped them. "Okay guys, this is the spot where the radar picked up a signal."

Everyone drew their weapons and glanced around nervously, but nothing happened.

"Really, Jay?" Anna asked. "There's nobody here. If there was, I'm sure we'd be able to see them. The land is flat for miles around."

"No, it's not," said Nya, pointing farther in front of them.

Anna turned to see what she was pointing at. The land sloped upwards, then suddenly dropped off, leading to a churning ocean hundreds of feet below. It would have been a beautiful view, except for one thing. Jagged rocks jutted out of the parts of the ocean around the cliff like the jaws of a beast, giving the whole scene a sinister look.

"We should head over to that cliff before we turn back," Cole suggested.

"It would certainly provide a better vantage point of our surroundings than here," said Zane.

"I guess that does make sense," Nya agreed. "Let's go."

The ninjas walked along the edge of the cliff, but still they found nothing. Just as they were about to turn back, Anna heard a faint rumbling that sounded like it was coming from underneath their feet.

"Did you guys hear that?" she asked. Her teammates stopped what they were doing and looked up at her.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything," said Jay.

"Just listen," insisted Anna.

Everyone strained their ears to hear the noise Anna had heard. After a few minutes, the rumbling sound came again, louder this time.

"Now you guys can't tell me that I'm imagining things," Anna said. "You all heard that, right?"

"What do you think it is?" asked Nya.

"Whatever it is, I have a feeling we're not going to like it," Kai said grimly.

As they spoke, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. It shook more and more violently, until the ninjas could barely keep their footing.

Just when Anna thought for sure that the whole cliff would break apart, the ground around them erupted, spewing clouds of dust and rock all around them. Soon it became impossible to see anything.

"Everyone, stay together!" Cole instructed, but they were all too panicked to listen.

The ninjas looked wildly around, trying to find anything that would give them a clue of what was happening.

That's when Anna saw them – dozens of pairs of glowing red eyes, all trained directly on her and her friends.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another cliffhanger, this time literally. You know you love them! :P **

**Anyway, sorry if I haven't been on FanFiction for a while lately. I was traveling all weekend, and the place I stayed didn't have Internet connection, so obviously I couldn't check for updates.**

**As always, a big thanks goes out to my reviewers: ZaneLoverFan88 and Darkrainbow (twice!). **

**Response to Reviews:**

**Darkrainbow - Of course we can be BFFs! And I am planning on making a story featuring your OC, I just don't know when I'll get around to it. You should really get a FanFiction account if you don't have one already. That way we can talk more, and maybe we can even work on a story together! Oh, and you deserve some cookies, too (::) (::)**

**So, don't forget to review, and I'll try to get Chapter 9 up as early as possible next Sunday so you can find out what happens next!**

**~Shadow**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:_ Surprise Visitor_**

Anna tried to warn her friends, but she was coughing so hard, she could barely breathe, let alone talk. She took a few steps backwards, towards the edge of the cliff. Surely whatever had ambushed them wouldn't be able to follow her deeper into the cloud of debris in the air.

Anna was careful not to back up too much, otherwise she would fall off the cliff. Her teammates must have had the same idea, because when she reached the edge, she was shoulder to shoulder with the other ninjas.

For a minute Anna thought they were safe. The red eyes had seemingly disappeared. Her relief was short-lived, though. A few minutes later, the glowing eyes reappeared, only a few feet away now.

The air had cleared enough for Anna to breathe, but it was still too dusty to see anything.

"Whatever those things are, they must be able to see through the dust!" Anna was able to choke out.

"How are we supposed to fight if we can't see?" Kai yelled somewhere off to Anna's right.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Cole replied. "If we don't fight, then we'll most likely be killed by whatever ambushed us!"

Anna knew that this wasn't exactly the time or place for a pep talk, but Cole was right – if they just kept standing here, they wouldn't make it out of this alive.

"It doesn't matter if we can see or not," Anna said. "We're ninja, remember? And ninja never quit! We either send these monsters back to where they came from, or we die trying. Got it?"

And with that, Anna drew her sword and lunged towards where she last saw the glowing red eyes of her opponents.

Nya drew two daggers from her belt and followed Anna into battle, right behind the four boys.

The group tried to fight the best they could, but their opponents had an obvious advantage. Whenever one of the ninjas attacked, their foe simply stepped out of the way. As a result, the ninjas swung their weapons wildly, only to be raked again and again by the sharp claws of the monsters they were fighting.

It wasn't long before they were once again pushed up against the edge of the cliff.

"It's no use!" yelled Kai. "We can't fight like this!"

"Well, if this is the end, I just want to say that it was nice knowing all of you," Jay said.

"Yeah, it's been an honor fighting beside you guys," Cole agreed.

"That's it?" Anna asked. "You're just going to give up, admit defeat?"

"Either that, or we run blindly into battle, and you saw how well that worked," Kai snapped.

"We're all hurt, Anna. We can't go on fighting forever," Nya pointed out. "Face it. We've run out of options."

Anna couldn't argue with her there. She had numerous wounds herself, and she knew she couldn't keep going for much longer.

But this couldn't be the end. There had to be another way. Anna tried frantically to come up with a plan, but her mind came up empty. She was completely defenseless. Even her sword had been lost in the battle.

That was when she remembered. She had brought something else with her. The flute her brother had given her all those many years ago.

Anna reached for her pocket and sighed in relief when she felt the flute. At least it hadn't been lost in the battle.

She didn't know if she could still play it. Even if she could, it seemed impossible that her brother would hear her, or even recognize it as a distress signal.

It was a long shot, but it was all she had.

_Well, here goes nothing_, she thought.

She took a deep breath, then held the flute up to her lips.

At first the notes came out squeaky and hardly recognizable, but after a few practice notes, Anna got the hang of it.

_Good thing Bryce drilled this distress song into my head, or else I probably wouldn't remember it right now_, Anna thought with a smile.

As Anna played the first few bars of the song, the others stared at her in disbelief.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jay shrieked. "What, you think that you can play some lullaby and put those things to sleep?!"

Anna didn't answer. She was too busy concentrating on playing the right notes as loudly as possible.

The song was short, and after a few minutes, Anna was done playing.

"I have no idea what you're trying to do, but feel free to join in fighting whenever you feel like it," Kai said to her.

Anna realized that her teammates must have been covering for her while she played.

"As tempting as that sounds, Kai, I kind of lost my sword a while ago," she replied. "But don't worry. Help will be here soon!"

_I hope_, she added silently.

Anna waited... and waited... and waited. But absolutely nothing happened.

Anna was just about to give up hope when she heard cheering from the ninjas.

"What?" Anna asked, confused. "What's going on?"

"They're retreating!" Kai yelled triumphantly.

Anna looked and saw that the red eyes and whatever they belonged to were, in fact, retreating under the ground.

"We did it!" Anna cheered. "We actually -"

She stopped mid-sentence as a terrible thought crossed her mind.

"What's the matter, Anna?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, we won!" Jay said.

Anna took a shaky breath. "Um, guys, I don't think we've won quite yet."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked. "You saw them. They were retreating."

"I don't think they were," said Anna. "Remember, they came out of the ground in the first place, right?"

"Yeah, so what's your point?" questioned Kai.

"What if they weren't retreating? What if they were just regrouping?"

Everyone looked puzzled, except Nya.

She saw what Anna was trying to say, and she gasped. "This is not good. This is definitely not good. We need to get out of here right now!"

It was too late, however. The cliff that the ninjas were standing on began to crumble.

"Those monsters made the ledge unstable by burrowing!" Anna yelled. "We're going to fall!"

Fractures crisscrossed the land where they were standing, and with one sickening crunch, the whole ledge gave way.

Anna screamed as she felt herself free-falling through the air at extreme speeds. Maybe she would have enjoyed the feeling if she were skydiving with a parachute, but not when she was plummeting to certain death in the ocean.

Even now she could hear the angry waves crashing against the cliff face. Then there was also the matter of the razor sharp stone spires jutting out of the ocean directly below her. They were only about a hundred feet away from her now.

_So this really is the end..._

Anna closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate.

She remembered reading somewhere that right when people are about to die, they feel a strange sense of peace come over them. It was funny, though, because that wasn't how she felt at all right now.

Then, all too soon, Anna collided with solid matter, and she could feel herself floating gently upwards.

_So, I guess this is what it feels like to be dead_, Anna thought.

It was all very confusing. First of all, Anna had expected to feel a little more pain. Second, if she really was dead, then why did Anna feel like she was just dreaming?

She tried to figure out what exactly was going on, but her mind felt fuzzy. Maybe if she just rested for a few moments, then she could think about this all later...

"Anna! Wake up!"

_Funny... that sounded like Cole's voice..._

Anna opened her eyes to find all her friends, staring down at her. There was also another concerned face there. One that looked exactly like...

"Bryce!" Anna yelled. She immediately sat up and hugged her brother.

"It's good to see you, too, Anna," Bryce laughed.

"But how –? I thought for sure that we were going to die," Anna said.

"Well, you were, but lucky for you I just happened to be around these parts, and I heard you playing the flute I gave you," Bryce explained. "By the way, it sounded great."

"Thanks," Anna said.

"Anyway, I caught you and your friends on the back of my dragon just before you hit the rocks. You must have hit your head harder than the rest of your friends, because you were instantly knocked out cold."

"And the monsters we were fighting –?"

"Serpentine. Pretty nasty creatures if you ask me. They're half human, half snake, and all evil. But you don't have to worry, I took care of them."

"Sorry to interrupt, but did we miss something?" Jay broke in. "Do you know this guy, Anna?"

Anna was so excited about seeing her brother again that she almost forgot her friends were there. "Oh, sorry. Guys, this is Bryce, my brother. Bryce, these are my friends, the famous Masters of Spinjitzu."

"I've heard about you four," Bryce said. "But, Anna, you never told me you joined their team."

"Yeah, well, you've missed a lot being away for so long," Anna said softly, turning away from her brother.

"I'm sorry that I had to leave. But, believe me, leaving you behind was my biggest regret," said Bryce.

"Then please, don't leave again," Anna begged. "You can stay with us. I'm sure Sensei Wu wouldn't mind."

"I can't, Anna," Bryce sighed.

"Why not?" Anna demanded. What's so much more important to you than your family?"

"Anna, the whole reason I've been gone is to bring our family back together. And I won't stop searching until I find our father."

That caught Anna off guard. "Our father? Is he still alive? Do you know where he is?"

"I'm not really sure," Bryce admitted. "But I do know that the only reason Mom's working for Garmadon is because he offered to find Dad for her. If I don't find Dad first, then our mother will be indebted to Garmadon forever!"

Anna was speechless for a while, then finally said, "I understand. But just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry," Bryce said. "Since when have you known me to be careless?"

At that, Anna actually laughed for the first time that day.

"Seriously, though, it's about time that you get back home. I'm sure that your sensei is really worried about you by now," Bryce said.

"But what about you?" Anna asked.

"I'll be fine," said Bryce. "Plus, I have Jet to keep me out of trouble."

"Your dragon?" Anna looked over to her right and saw a beautiful Sea Dragon curled up on the ground, its turquoise scales gleaming in the sunset.

"I'd better get going," said Bryce. He mounted his dragon, which then unfolded its gigantic wings and hovered over the sea. "See you soon, Anna!"

With that, the dragon flew out farther and farther over the ocean, until it finally became just a distant speck on the horizon.

Anna stood there for a few more minutes, then turned to her friends and said, "Let's get going. We have a lot of explaining to do when we get back."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what did you think? Just to make you guys happy, I purposely didn't end on a cliffhanger. **

**Last chapter I got a total of FIVE REVIEWS! I think that's the most I've ever gotten on a single chapter, so thanks so much to: ZaneLoverFan88, Darkrainbow, Yuna53421, NinjaMelissa, and HiroKaiMarc.**

**Response to Reviews:**

**ZaneLoverFan88: I hope this chapter answered some (if not all) of your questions.**

**That's all I have to say so Review, Follow, Favorite, or do all three because it would make me extremely happy! And, it would also give me reassurance that some people actually read this story and care about it.**

**Anyways, I'll be back next week with Chapter Ten, so bye for now!**

**~Shadow**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey, guys! Will you look at that, I'm updating early today! I hope you've been enjoying this story so far, because I sure have!**

**Okay, I'll stop talking now and let you get to the story. Hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter Ten:<em> Legend of the Serpentine<em>**

The ninjas walked back to the Destiny's Bounty in silence. As they neared their home, they could see Sensei Wu standing on the deck awaiting their safe arrival. In his hand was a steaming cup of tea.

The ninjas also noticed a small child standing next to the sensei wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and denim jeans.

Cole started, "That looks exactly like..."

"Lloyd!" Anna yelled joyfully. She ran all the way back to the Bounty and threw her arms around Lloyd. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Alright, alright! Enough already!" Lloyd tried unsuccessfully to push Anna away.

When the rest of the ninjas arrived on the Bounty, Anna asked, "What happened to you? I was so worried!"

"You think I'm going to tell you?" said Lloyd harshly. "It's none of your business where I've been and what I've been doing!"

"Lloyd," warned Sensei Wu in a dangerous tone, "you will tell my students about your travels this instant. They have every right to know."

"Fine," Lloyd pouted. "Here goes. It all started when Kai flipped out on me earlier. I don't know for sure exactly what happened because I blacked out, but when I woke up I was in my father's palace in the Underworld."

"Hey," Kai interrupted, "I didn't mean it. But you were seriously getting on my nerves."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to knock me out and send me back to the Underworld!" Lloyd countered.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Kai. "I have no idea how you got there, but whatever happened, I can assure you I didn't do it on purpose!"

Anna glared at Kai, letting him know not to say too much around the others. Kai and Anna still hadn't agreed on when to tell their friends about their special powers, but now definitely wasn't the time.

"Guys, please. Can we get back to the story now?" Anna said, trying to change the subject.

"Right," Lloyd said. "After wandering around the palace for a while, I finally found my father. He asked me where I'd been, but I couldn't tell him about how the skeletons betrayed me and how you guys took me in, so I lied and said I was off brainstorming ideas on how to become the newest and most evil villain Ninjago has ever seen."

"Oh, please! Just cut to the chase already! We don't have all day to sit around here!" Cole complained.

"I'm getting there!" Lloyd said. "Anyways, my dad just laughed and told me I could never be a great villain if I didn't even have an evil army to do my bidding. That got me thinking... what kind of creatures were there in Ninjago that I could enslave and use to carry out my diabolical plans? Then I remembered those old wives' tales about the half-man, half-snake monsters that used to terrorize Ninjago until they were imprisoned in tombs of stone miles under the surface by the elders of Ninjago."

"You mean the Serpentine?" Jay asked. "You do know those are just legends, right?"

"Oh, no. Don't tell me you did what I think you did," said Kai.

"Um... yeah. About that. I opened the Serpentine tombs," Lloyd admitted.

"Lloyd!" Kai yelled, furious. "Don't you realize what you've done?"

"How could you?" Cole asked.

"You've released Ninjago's most feared enemy to wreak havoc on innocent citizens!" added Jay.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Lloyd tried to apologize, but no one paid him any attention. They just kept yelling at him and accusing him.

The ninjas wold have remained in their state of anger if Sensei Wu had not have spoken up just then.

"Enough!" he said, and immediately the ninjas stopped yelling.

"But Sensei," Jay protested, "don't you realize what's at stake here?"

"Yes, and I have already talked to my nephew," replied Sensei Wu. "I believe he is deeply sorry for his actions."

"Sorry isn't going to fix the fact that innocent lives are being lost at the Serpentine's hands!" Kai yelled.

"Kai!" Sensei Wu scolded. "The past is the past. We cannot change the fact that the Serpentine tombs are now opened. Instead, we must find a way to combat their forces before they cause any more harm."

"But that's impossible!" Anna yelled. "When we faced them, we barely escaped with our lives! We would have been killed if it wasn't for my brother!"

"Face it, Sensei Wu, we can't fight them," Kai said. "We don't know anything about them – their weaknesses, battle strategies, or even what their master plan is. We're completely helpless."

Not quite, Kai," Sensei Wu said. "There is more to the tale of the Serpentine than the part Lloyd told."

Lloyd looked surprised. "What? There is? The only part I've ever heard was about the Elders locking the Serpentine away."

"Yes, but did you ever think about how the Elders managed to force the Serpentine underground?" Sensei Wu asked.

"Well, no, not really," Lloyd replied.

"It was not such an easy task to imprison the Serpentine. Many brave warriors had tried time and time again. Not one was able to succeed," Sensei Wu said.

"Then how did the Serpentine end up in those tombs?" Jay asked.

"Jay, would you quit interrupting?" said Kai, annoyed at his teammate. "This is important!"

"The Elders were distraught. They had lost almost all of their fiercest warriors, and soon there would be no one left to protect the citizens of Ninjago," Sensei Wu continued. "The Elders knew that they must do something. After weeks and weeks of intensive studies, the Elders finally created four Sacred Flutes to aid the warriors."

"Flutes?" said Cole incredulously. "How can a flute be a secret weapon?"

"When played, the instruments would emit a special high-pitched sound that would temporarily stun the Serpentine, rendering them helpless," Sensei Wu replied. "Wielding these new weapons, four warriors were able to force the Serpentine into solid stone tombs, imprisoning them for thousands of years."

"Wait a second," said Anna, "How do you know so much about this part of the story? The rest of us have never even heard it before."

"It is because I was one of the young warriors who imprisoned the Serpentine once and for all," Sensei Wu said simply.

"What? That's impossible!" Jay yelled. "That happened thousands of years ago!"

"Even so, it seems like it was only yesterday," Sensei Wu said.

"Sensei, if you really were one of the warriors that received a Sacred Flute from the Elders, does that mean you still have it?" Anna asked excitedly.

"Yeah, we could really use one of those things now," added Cole. "It sounds like they could fix our snake infestation pretty quickly."

As an answer, Sensei Wu produced a small tan flute out of the folds in his robes.

It looked similar to the flute Anna's brother made for her, but it was constructed out of better materials and had intricate carvings all along the sides.

The ninjas stared at it in silence, wide-eyed and amazed, until Anna finally spoke up.

"If you were one of the warriors who imprisoned the Serpentine, then who were the other three?" she asked. "In your story, you said there were four warriors."

"Why not ask your brother that question?" Sensei Wu said. "He is a flute player, correct? Did you ever ask him where he acquired his flute?"

"What do you mean? My brother doesn't know anything about any of this," said Anna.

"Doesn't he?" questioned Sensei Wu.

Suddenly Anna realized what Sensei Wu meant.

"My father... from what I can remember, he was good friends with you. Are you saying that he was one of the four warriors also?" Anna said slowly.

Sensei Wu nodded.

"So Bryce's flute is one of the Sacred Flutes the Elders made and gave to my father. He must have given it to Bryce before I was born," Anna concluded.

Anna now knew why Sensei Wu's flute looked so similar to her own. Bryce had specially made her flute to look and play like his Sacred Flute.

Unfortunately, even though they looked similar, her flute didn't have the same power as the flutes the Elders created. Anna had tried playing her flute earlier when she was battling the Serpentine, but it hadn't done anything to them.

"That actually makes a lot of sense, Anna," commented Kai. "When you were knocked out and your brother was fighting those snakes, he did pull out some sort of flute at one point. When he played it, the snakes stopped dead in their tracks. They couldn't stand it."

"Really? You just tell me this now?" Anna said. "You do realize that this is information that we could have used earlier!"

"Sorry," apologized Kai, "I guess it slipped my mind."

While they were talking, Sensei Wu walked over to Anna and handed her the Sacred Flute. "Anna, I am now entrusting you with this flute. Guard it with your life, for it is vitally important."

Anna stood there for a moment, too stunned to say anything. Then, she managed to say, "Thank you, Sensei. It is my honor to protect this flute."

"I believe that you can put it to a much better use than can I," Sensei Wu told Anna. Then to the rest of the ninjas he said, "There will be difficult battles in the future, and I may not always be around to guide you. But train hard, harness the power inside you, and together you will be able to overcome any odds."

Then, the sensei turned and walked below the deck, leaving the ninjas to think about his words.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Anna set the flute her brother made for her down on her bedside table. Then, sitting down on her bed, she picked up the Sacred Flute Sensei Wu had given he a while earlier.

As she ran her fingers over its glossy surface, she could almost feel the power radiating from it.

All of a sudden, she heard a soft knock on her door.

She crossed the room and opened it, revealing Kai standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Kai," she said. "What's up?"

"Do you have a minute?" Kai asked.

"Sure," Anna replied. "Come on in."

Anna walked over and grabbed two chairs from the corner of her room. Then she gave one to Kai, and they both sat down.

"So, what's the matter?" Anna asked. "I thought you would be training like everybody else."

"I wanted to talk about our parents."

"What about them?" Anna asked.

"They're still alive, Anna. Your brother said so himself," Kai said.

"Even if they are, what are we supposed to do about it?" said Anna. "We don't even know where to start looking for them."

"We have to train," Kai replied. "You heard Sensei. Learn to control our powers. Then we can worry about finding out where they are."

Anna looked scared. "No, Kai. We can't. Our powers are too dangerous. I don't think I'll ever be able to control them."

"Now you're starting to sound like your mother," Kai joked.

Anna laughed, but she still sounded nervous.

"I don't know about you, but I can't just sit around here knowing my parents are alive but not doing anything to find them," Kai said. "One way or another, I'm going to find them. Are you with me, or not?"

"Count me in," Anna said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: How was it? I understand if you thought this chapter was a tiny bit boring, I realize that I put absolutely no action into it. Still, please review anyway! I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter, or if there's something I should fix!**

**I'd like to thank my amazingly awesome reviewers ZaneLoverFan88 and NinjaMelissa. You guys are the best!**

**Also, thanks to all you guys that have been favoriting/following this story. I'm glad you enjoy it so much!**

**I got nothing else, so see you next week and have an awesome day!**

**~Shadow**


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